The Queen Elizabeth Hospital has received new equipment this week from the Big C cancer charity.

A �28,000 ultrasound machine was presented by charity chief executive Daniel Williams, who visted King's Lynn on Tuesday.

The equipment was handed over to Dr Arun Arya, consultant in respiratory medicine, who said: 'The new equipment will enable us to offer patients a faster diagnosis and will help us to pinpoint accurately where the fluid needs to be drained.'

Patients who are referred to the QEH with fluid collecting on their chest will benefit from the new equipment which is part of a 'one stop' clinic. 'We are very grateful to Big C for their generous donation and this will allow us to set up a one-stop service for patients where they can be referred directly to the respiratory physician rather than being sent to the Medical Assessment Unit for further investigations.'

The new equipment will be used primarily in the treatment of patients with lung cancer, although fluid on the chest can also be caused by other conditions including pneumonia and heart failure.

The Big C charity was founded in 1980 and has raised �14 million in the past 31 years.

A large proportion of the money raised has been donated to research into cancer at the University of East Anglia, Norwich. and other local hospitals.

It also opened a family support and information centre at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.