PATIENTS at Blackpool Victoria Hospital can now breathe more easily thanks to a new £5,000 piece of equipment.

The Pulsoxymeter, used to measure the level of circulating oxygen in a patient's blood, was bought with a donation from healthcare cash plan provider HealthSure.

The machine will help to monitor people suffering from breathlessness and acute chest problems and be useful in deciding the percentage of oxygen to be administered as a result. It will be used on the Vic's Ward 24.