Doctors could be able to diagnose patients even faster thanks to a new mobile digital X-ray machine donated to Gloucestershire's hospitals.

This life-saving equipment enables medical teams to get images of patients on the ward who are too unwell to go to the X-ray department.

The images are available immediately as soon as the X-ray has been taken, allowing for quicker diagnosis and treatment.

These machines can help everyone from premature babies needing urgent medical treatment to those with long-term conditions and they were used to care for patients with chest problems during the COVID pandemic.

The latest X-ray machine has been donated to the Cheltenham and Gloucester Hospitals Charity by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Gloucestershire Freemasons whose members raised the £100,000 needed in a matter of months.

Provincial Grand Master Tim Henderson-Ross said: "We wanted to raise money for something that would help as many people as possible in Gloucestershire. When we heard about the mobile X-ray machines, we felt this would be a great way to make a difference to a large number of patients in the county's hospitals."

The money was raised through internal fundraising and donations within the organisation.

"Many of our members felt strongly about supporting the NHS and a lot of them had been helped during the pandemic. So, there was a tremendous following wind to get to the target and we managed to raise the money in just eight months," he said.

Gloucestershire Hospitals has already taken delivery of the new X-ray machine and it is now in use helping patients and staff.

Superintendent radiographer Catherine Phillips said: "This equipment will allow for quicker availability of imaging which in turn enables faster diagnosis and treatment. We are very grateful to have this new equipment as it not only allows us as a team to work more efficiently, it has huge benefits for the patients."

Richard Smith, head of fundraising at Cheltenham and Gloucester Hospitals Charity, added: "This is a huge donation which has enabled this amazing piece of technology to now be in circulation in our hospitals and we can't thank the Gloucestershire Freemasons enough for their incredible generosity to make this happen.

"It is thanks to the many organisations and individuals who fundraise, make a donation or leave a gift in their will to us, that we are able to fund equipment such as this which is over and above that which is provided by the NHS."