Endoscopy services at Stepping Hill Hospital are set for expansion thanks to major new investment of £1.8m.
The hospital has a dedicated team who work in its endoscopy suite, which is used to examine inside a patient’s digestive tract for conditions including Crohn’s disease, coeliac disease and cancer. The endoscopy suite is about to receive major enhancement and expansion, with building work due to start later this year.
The expansion will see two new assessment rooms, a new procedure room and a redesigned recovery area, together with state-of-the-art new equipment. The team will be able to carry out many more routine procedures as well as being better equipped to handle emergencies such as bleeding stomach ulcers. The unit will also have improved training facilities, enhancing the training for doctors and nurses.
Demand for endoscopy services at the hospital has been increasing year on year, from 10,000 procedures in 2015, to just over 11,200 in 2018, and is expected to grow to over 13,000 a year by 2023. The complexity of procedures that can be done using endoscopy has also increased meaning that some patients can avoid needing surgery.
The enhanced services will enable the hospital to meet this increased demand, and result in timelier care for both inpatients and outpatients. Inpatients will wait on average a day and a half less to receive a procedure, which would then be carried out more swiftly, while outpatients awaiting tests for conditions will get their information sooner. It will also increase the team’s capability in responding to urgent procedures such as GI bleeds, enabling a round the clock emergency service for these patients.
The enhanced endoscopy will give Stepping Hill Hospital the extra capacity it needs as part of the Healthier Together project to provide enhanced care for across Greater Manchester, delivering better patient outcomes and better patient experience. Around half the investment of £1.8m will come from the central Greater Manchester Healthier Together funding.
The improvements will also help secure the future of endoscopy services at Stepping Hill Hospital, and make it a more inviting place of work for endoscopy consultants.
Louise Robson, Chief Executive for Stockport NHS Foundation Trust which runs the hospital and community services said “The rising demand for endoscopy services from our local population is a challenge which we are meeting full on with this ambitious new investment programme. These excellent new facilities will result in an improved service for patients and ensure our endoscopy services are fit for the future.”
