CATERING and facilities management firm Sodexo has invested in new equipment to help porters at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire.

The firm has bought a range of electronically-operated tugs from Ashbourne-based MasterMover.

They will help the 66 porters at the City General and Haywood Hospital sites manoeuvre items more quickly and efficiently.

Sodexo site director Anne Alexander said: "As the City General hospital is spread over a large area and has a steep gradient from the top to the bottom of the site, Sodexo identified that it needed equipment which would help our porters to manoeuvre trolleys up and downhill.

"In addition, it was recognised that due to the size of the site, utilising MasterMover machines would improve efficiency, with a number of trolleys being able to be moved simultaneously."

The new equipment will help the porters move waste bins, food containers, dirty laundry, patient specimens and medical records around the hospitals.