FAMILIES of young patients who have been on the children's wards at the James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesborough, are asked to check their cupboards.

Staff lend out equipment to help youngsters manage their conditions when they first leave hospital.

But, in some cases, items such as feeding pumps, portable suction machines, battery charges, mattresses and nebulisers are not returned to the wards.

Paediatric staff nurse Sheila Laing has launched an equipment amnesty to encourage parents to take back anything they might have borrowed or forgotten they had.

"A lot of this equipment is probably just sitting on a shelf somewhere gathering dust," she said.

"Maybe someone had every intention of bringing it back but simply forgot about it and now think they've left it too long to do anything.

" This isn't a finger-wagging exercise, but items such as these are often bought through money raised by local people and can be quite expensive."

Equipment can be left at the children's outpatients' depart-ment, or maternity reception, or call the paediatric day unit on (01642) 854896.