Bell ringers raise cash to save lives

The members of the town's club for enthusiasts of the musical instrument have provided an advanced item of medical equipment which detects cancerous moles.

They met dermatologist Dr Kate Condon at Bognor Regis War Memorial Hospital last weekto officially present the item to her.

Dr Condon had eagerly been using the hand-held dermatoscope since it arrived two months earlier.

"It has saved a number of people's lives. I am using it every day," she explained, "on about 12 of the 22 patients I see. Two of those patients, on average, have to have a mole cut out.

"One of those will have been referred because of concerns about a mole. The other is found because of an examination for another skin condition."

The dermatoscope is the size of a small digital camera. It can scan 30-40 potentially cancerous moles in a minute and provides instant results.

Dr Condon just holds it a centimetre above the patient's skin. She previously had to put oil on suspect moles and then scan them in a messy and time-consuming process.

The dermatoscope cost 679 which formed part of a 1,200 donation which the handbell ringers made to the hospital's Friends group.

Pauline Allsopp, chairman of the ringers, said: "It is wonderful to think that the money we have raised is helping to save lives.

"We play concerts locally and we decided the money we raise from the performances should go to a local cause. We will be backing the Friends this year with the proceeds."

The rest of the ringer's donation went to help the Friends spend 50,000 improving life for patients and staff at the hospital last year.

Southern community hospital's head Gareth Howell, of West Sussex NHS Primary Care Trust, said the backing of the handbell ringers showed how local people could benefit others around the town.

"The microscope will greatly improve the already excellent service provided by the dermatology team at the war memorial hospital," he stated.

"It will mean the specialist service will be able to carry out a much higher level of work on site that would previously have had to be done elsewhere."

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