Launching one of the first bowel cancer screening services to run from a district general hospital is just one achievement being celebrated by an NHS endoscopy service as it marks a 20-year anniversary this May.
The endoscopy service at Hemel Hempstead Hospital moved to a newly renovated state-of-the-art location in 2005 and has since gone from strength to strength.
The service provides tests which uses cameras to visualise the digestive tract to assess and diagnose several gastrointestinal conditions. The Hemel endoscopy service, which operates alongside a service delivered at Watford General Hospital, is also the main site for West Herts Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s bowel cancer screening service.
The bowel cancer screening service started nationally at a few pilot sites in 2006, with West Herts’ service starting soon after in 2008. Since then, it has expanded to include more age groups within the local population. Over the past 20 years, ongoing investment in the service, staff and equipment has driven up the quality of procedures and improved patient experience.
Over half of diagnostic procedures and assessments are performed by eight highly skilled nurse endoscopists, freeing up consultants’ time for more complex cases.
Dr Alistair King, consultant gastroenterologist and lead for the service, said: “The transformation of our endoscopy service over the past 20 years has been truly remarkable, and I am proud to be part of this amazing team of healthcare professionals.”
Specialist nurses also manage a telephone assessment service, improving speed of access to treatment for patients, assessing patients’ suitability for endoscopic tests, as well as ensuring a rapid review of results.
Thanks to these improvements, the Trust is meeting increasingly robust diagnostic waiting list targets, with many patients initially triaged within a week, despite a 6.5% year-on-year increase in endoscopy demand.
West Herts’ endoscopy service at both Hemel and Watford has also maintained national accreditation from the Joint Advisory Group in Endoscopy (JAG) since 2007. This accreditation is awarded to endoscopy services that meet nationally agreed quality and safety standards.
In recent years the department has been approved as a national JAG training centre, delivering a variety of courses across both sites. It is also one of the sites for the East of England Training Academy, accommodating up to 15 trainees at any one time, including accelerated (immersive) training. Trainees include gastroenterology and surgical doctors training in different endoscopic procedures including complex therapeutic techniques.
The service is supported by a skilled and expanding administrative team and a team of endoscopy nurses who are experts in providing safe and compassionate care.
Joanne Sparrow, Senior Sister for the Hemel Endoscopy Unit, said: “Endoscopy is a fast-paced environment. It’s our teamwork that makes excellence possible. Every member of our team plays a vital role in ensuring patients receive safe, efficient, and compassionate care.”