NEW measures have been put in place at hospitals in Worcestershire to ensure patient’s valuables are kept secure.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust – the organisation running Worcester Royal Hospital, Kidderminster Hospital and Redditch Hospital – has introduced new tamper-proof bags which can be used to store items such as wallets, phones, keys, glasses and jewellery.

Although patients have previously been provided with safes to keep their belongings in, the new bags have been introduced after an increase in items getting lost – particularly glasses and dentures.

The trust’s chief nursing officer Lindsey Webb said patients are always advised not to bring valuables into hospital when they come in for appointments or operations, but those brought in by ambulance could have a range of items with them.

“Things do get lost and we do have very rare cases with theft,” she said. “But it’s more common that things get lost.

“In this day and age if you told someone going into hospital not to bring their phone they might not be very happy.”

She added the new system would also help the trust reduce the amount of money it is forced to pay out to patients whose property has been lost.

She said: “There are sometimes compensation claims for lost property and that’s money we want to be able to spend on healthcare.”