SWINDON'S Great Western Hospital has been given new equipment worth £20,000 to help diagnose bowel disorders.

The hospital has been given a new flexible sigmoidoscope, which will bring huge benefits to the hospital's screening programme for bowel and other disorders.

It was bought with money donated by the Swindon branch of the Ileostomy Association, which presented the equipment to the hospital yesterday.

The device is a long slender fibre-optic probe used to examine the sigmoid colon a muscular part of the large intestine.

As well as helping to treat irritable bowel syndrome, the equipment will also help extensively in the treatment and screening of colon cancer.

Martin Brien, the honorary secretary of the Swindon group, said it was the largest donation the group had made.

He said the money had been raised while hospital staff moved from the town's old Princess Margaret Hospital to the GWH.

Because there was a lot of Government money available during the move, the Ileostomy Association had waited to see what was needed afterwards before spending the cash.

Mr Brien said: "Whenever we have money to spend we will ask the nurses what they want.

"We are always fundraising and take great pleasure in being able to help those who help us."

The purchase of the machine, which totalled £20,339, was made possible after a bequest in the will of late group member Peter Todman.

The Ileostomy Association is a national self-help patient group with local groups across the UK. Swindon's has been in existence for 25 years.

It provides help for patients who are about to undergo bowel surgery with the need for a stoma, ileostomy or colostomy, where special bags are used to collect the patient's waste.

Such an operation is used when surgeons are trying to treat such illnesses as cancer or colitis.

Currently the hospital has two outdated sigmoidoscopes, so it is hoped that the new one will play a part in improving the diagnostic service at the hospital, in line with the Government's policy in improving colon cancer treatment and diagnostic services.

l The Ileostomy Association group will have a stand at the West Swindon shopping centre on Saturday, June 26, to raise money and awareness of its work.

Anthony Osborne