Mini Mercedes gives young patients in Sandwell a lift
Children are being given a lift in a remote-control car to calm their nerves before minor operations.
A mini Mercedes is being used to take young patients to theatre at Sandwell Hospital in West Bromwich.
Three-year-old Gavy Saini was the first patient to give it a test drive and told his mother Sundeep it was "cool".
Mrs Saini said the toy car put her son at ease before his tooth extraction surgery and said it was a wonderful idea.
The hospital trust's fundraising manager Amanda Winwood had the idea after seeing similar cars being used at a hospital in California.
"Having an operation can be daunting especially if you are a child," she said. "I thought this would help to distract them as they headed into surgery."
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The children are strapped in to the battery-powered cars which are controlled by nurses and play specialists and driven through the hospital for their procedures.
The hospital has two of the cars, which cost £150 each and were donated by Halfords in Oldbury. Ms Winwood said the reaction to them has been "amazing".
The cars started being used for young patients on Friday.
