DOGS are proving to be the ideal creature comfort for hospital patients on the Fylde Coast.

Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Community Health Trust has introduced the pets on wards for the elderly mentally ill.

Man's best friend is once again living up to his name by visiting patients at Devonshire, Lytham and Fleetwood hospitals to help lift their spirits and make them feel better.

Pets As Therapy (PAT) has also teamed up with Blackpool's community mental health team to provide an opportunity for people over 65 who are physically fit but suffering from anxiety or depression to visit the RSPCA, the PDSA and the Zoo where they can care for the animals. The project got the green light after a pilot study set up at Lytham Hospital compared the behaviour of six patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease on Monday afternoons when no dog was present to their behaviour on Wednesday afternoons when a dog was present.

Sylvia Lancaster, unit manager, said: "The difference in patients was immediately obvious, particularly at going home time which is the worst part of the day when patients become very anxious and start pacing the floor."

Fleetwood vet Elizabeth Ormerod, who has campaigned for the use of animals for therapy for almost 20 years, is delighted. She said: "People with psychological problems cope so much better if they have a strong bond with an animal. It gives them emotional support and makes them feel needed. If the Government really embraced pet therapy in a big way it could save the NHS millions of pounds."