Jewellery, car parts and a wheelchair among items reported stolen from Shropshire hospitals
Car parts, jewellery and hundreds of cigarettes are among the items which patients and staff reported stolen to the NHS Trust that runs Shropshire's two main hospitals over the last four years.
Patients and staff at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital and Royal Shrewsbury Hospital also reported almost £2,000 of their own cash missing between April 2014 and December last year.
There were 68 reports of stolen items made to the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust between April 2012 and December 2015, figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act have revealed.
Security bosses at the Trust said incidents of theft were relatively low at its hospitals but it was continually working to improve security at all its sites.
Amongst the reported thefts were car parts including a registration plate, headlamps and a front tow eye cover – a small piece of bodywork from the front of cars.
A leather satchel, keys, purses and 400 cigarettes were all reported missing by staff in 2012/13.
Other items reported stolen over the last four years have included a handbag, bicycle, jewellery, a wheelchair, wireless mouse and medication.
The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust said matters of theft needed to be reported to a nurse in charge for preliminary fact finding and staff then submitted an internal incident report.
The trust said the matter was then investigated by the incident report handler, who was usually the ward manager or a nominated staff member, with support from the trust's security manager.
Jon Simpson, security manager at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said: "Incidents of theft are relatively low at our hospitals, but despite this the trust is continually working to improve security at all of its sites.
"There has been significant investment in CCTV and alarm systems, all of which have helped with deterring and detecting perpetrators of crime."
He said a security team also patrols the trust's sites 24-hours a day, 365 days a year.
Mr Simpson added: "Patients are advised not to keep valuables with them whilst in hospital and are encouraged to ask a family member or a trusted friend to take them home for them.
"Alternatively, secure storage for valuables belonging to patients and staff is available.
"It is important to reiterate that less than one reported theft a month is a relatively low figure in an organisation that employs more than 5,500 people and has hundreds of patients and visitors travelling through its open sites on a daily basis."
