Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust have announced that the endoscopy services at Torbay Hospital are set to undergo a major rejuvenation thanks to almost £5m worth of investment.
The hospital currently has three endoscopy rooms but the investment means that the Trust can expand their endoscopy capacity to four rooms as well as a new training facility.
Construction of the new facilities is expected to start in the January of next year with the overall build time scheduled to take approximately nine months. To mitigate any potential issues during the renovations, a mobile endoscopy unit will be installed providing additional capacity and enabling staff to see patients as usual and maintain the safety and efficacy of services.
The new facilities ultimately aim to streamline the patient experience and cut down on waiting times by increasing capacity by 33%.
Mark Feeney, Consultant Gastroenterologist at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We currently have three endoscopy rooms at Torbay Hospital. The funding will enable us to create a fourth room and training facility, meaning we can see more people and improve their experience and outcomes.
“Our endoscopy service currently carries out around 200 procedures each week and demand continues to grow. Early detection is really important to give people the best possible outcomes. Currently, we are focusing all our efforts on clearing a very large waiting list that has built up over the last two years.”
Endoscopy services are used to investigate whether a patient has conditions like cancer and inflammatory bowel disease by examining the inside of the digestive tract.
Liz Davenport, Chief Executive, Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are delighted to have secured this funding to improve and expand our endoscopy service. This will enable us to maintain the sustainability of our endoscopy service while we progress our plans for the service as part of our Building a brighter future programme.”
