PATIENTS visiting the mobility services team at Airedale Hospital can now enjoy a more comfortable wait thank to the efforts of a charity.

The Friends of Airedale charity has provided a new television and water cooler for the busy reception area.

Michelle West, mobility services manager at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This all came from our patients’ feedback where they told us it would be nice to have a distraction whilst sat in reception, and they suggested a TV.

"They also suggested a drinks machine as other than the snack machine in the day hospital entrance, the restaurant and shops are further away.

"Also, as many of our patients come by ambulance transport and are out of the house for a long time, they need a drink when they arrive, so we wanted to do something about it.

"All our patients have mobility issues and we want to make their visit to us a positive experience.

“We approached the Friends of Airedale who visited us and had a look around.

"They were really impressed with what we do here, how many patients we look after and the scale of our service. They generously agreed to help.

"So thanks to them we’ve now got these great additions to our reception. We hope it shows that when our patients tell us something, we try and help wherever we can.”