A diamond ring has been reunited with its owner after it was found in a hospital almost 100 miles from where it went missing.

Suraj Shah, who works at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, discovered the diamond-encrusted band in his newly-laundered scrubs ahead of an ICU shift on December 19.

Suraj, an anaesthetics registrar, said: “As I put the scrubs on something clattered to the floor and a colleague spotted the ring and alerted me.

“At first, I thought maybe one of the nurses here had lost the ring and I put the word out through the nurse in charge. I checked with the doctors as well but nothing, so I contacted our facilities team.

“I knew how downhearted my wife would be if she’d lost a ring that had sentimental value to her so that was in the back of my mind.

“As healthcare workers we often take off rings for procedures so it’s an easy mistake to make.”

Ham & High: Suraj Shah, an anaesthetics registrar at the Royal Free Hospital, with the ring he found in the pocket of his scrubsSuraj Shah, an anaesthetics registrar at the Royal Free Hospital, with the ring he found in the pocket of his scrubs (Image: Royal Free London)

When he reported it to the laundry, the ring matched one lost by a fellow NHS worker 70 miles away in Suffolk.

Radhika Ramasamy, a consultant anaesthetist at the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust in Bury St Edmunds, had put the ring in the pocket of her scrubs before giving a patient a spinal anaesthetic five days earlier.

Ham & High: Radhika's diamond ringRadhika's diamond ring (Image: Royal Free London)

Radhika, who was gifted the ring by her husband for her birthday, said: “I meant to put the ring back on afterwards but ended up doing another procedure and forgot about it.

“It wasn’t until the evening of the next day that I realised it was missing.”

She added: “To be honest I never expected to get it back as I thought it would be crushed in the machinery at the laundry.”

Ham & High: Radhika Ramasamy, a consultant anaesthetist in Suffolk, now has the diamond ring her husband gave her for her birthday backRadhika Ramasamy, a consultant anaesthetist in Suffolk, now has the diamond ring her husband gave her for her birthday back (Image: Royal Free London)

Radhika said she was “so happy” to have a ring with such sentimental value returned, and thanked people working at both West Suffolk Hospital and Royal Free Hospital for their help in finding it.

Suraj added: “It’s nice to feel part of a bit of a little miracle. I’m delighted the ring has been reunited with Radhika.”