University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust Press Release: New mobile endoscopy unit to speed up diagnostic testing at UHNM

Endoscopy patients at University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) are set to benefit from shorter waits for diagnostic tests thanks to the opening of a brand-new mobile endoscopy unit.   

The unit, which opens at County Hospital in Stafford today (19 August), will operate a seven-day service with the aim of clearing the overdue waiting list for planned and surveillance procedures.

Made possible thanks to NHS England funding, up to 750 patients a month are expected to be screened on a range of specialities.

Lisa Adams, Senior Operational Services Manager at UHNM said: “We were delighted to have received NHS England funding to improve and expand on our endoscopy service at UHNM. Early detection and diagnosis is vitally important to give our patients the best possible outcomes, and this new unit will help us to offer quicker screening access to thousands of patients, improving their quality of life whilst reducing waiting lists.”

The unit, which will remain on-site for a period of six months, features two diagnostic rooms and its own decontamination facilities.

Kathryn Kelter, Head of Operations for Planned Care at UHNM said: “We’ve already been doing a lot of work to increase endoscopy capacity across UHNM, with teams at both Royal Stoke and County hospitals going above and beyond to provide timely diagnostics in an effort to reduce current waiting lists, so to now have the facility to screen and diagnose an additional 750 patients per month is amazing news for our local population. This fantastic, brand-new unit at County Hospital will help us to provide the best possible patient experience whilst maintaining the sustainability of our endoscopy service prior to the opening of the Community Diagnostic Centre in 2025. ”