Patients at Shropshire's orthopaedic hospital are marking milestones with a special bell.

Lauren Hutchinson, MCSI sister at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Oswestry, came up with the idea to install the "end of treatment" bell.

It is normally rung by cancer care patients when they finish their treatment.

Ms Hutchinson said: "Although patients will be discharged from their stay on the unit, the majority will remain life-long patients of MCSI, regularly visiting for outpatient appointments."

They decided to use the bell differently from the norm, opting to use it for patients at the Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries (MCSI) to celebrate their progress.

She continued: "Instead of signifying end of treatment, we are using the bell to recognise the milestones and achievements made by patients, who tend to stay with us for upwards of six months."

The bell is a donation from the charity 'End of Treatment Bells' which has provided around 450 bells to healthcare facilities in the UK and abroad to celebrate patients' milestones during treatment.

Each bell comes with a unique poem for patients to read aloud before ringing, and the one at the MCSI is no exception.

Ms Hutchinson mentioned: "It’s lovely when a patient rings the bell, as the whole multi-disciplinary team including nurses, therapists, doctors, psychologists and more, get together to celebrate the patient and what they have accomplished in their time on the unit.

"I’d like to say thank you to End of Treatment Bells for donating the bell to the unit."