New diagnostic units will help Sherwood Forest Hospitals to see 800 more patients every month, leading to faster diagnosis and treatment

Posted Monday, October 4, 2021 1:48 PM

Endoscopy openingEight-hundred additional local people every month will now benefit from earlier diagnosis of serious illnesses, such as cancer in the bowel, bladder, stomach, oesophagus, brain and bones each month, thanks to two brand new mobile diagnostic units at King’s Mill Hospital. They have been opened in the 50th anniversary week of the very first CT scan, which was taken in Sutton-in-Ashfield, by Godfrey Hounsfield.

A new endoscopy unit, which officially opened today (Monday 4 October), and a mobile CT scanning unit, which opened on 1 October, are now jointly able to see 800 more patients a month - 200 who are waiting for urgent and routine endoscopy investigations, and 600 who are waiting for CT scans on internal organs, such as the brain, blood vessels or bones. Together, the new units are the first stage in the development of a new Community Diagnostic Hub, one of forty announced by the Government last week.

The endoscopy unit’s first patient, Michael, 70, was pleased that the new unit enabled him to be seen so quickly. He said: “I feel very lucky to be the first of 200 extra patients this month who will benefit from this brand new facility at King’s Mill Hospital. The speed from initially seeing my GP with my concerns to receiving a call from King’s Mill Hospital to offer me an appointment, and of course the actual appointment, has been fantastic and I have been extremely pleased. It can be a worrying time when waiting for an appointment like this, so speed is everything, and thanks to this new unit, that isn’t something I’ve had to be concerned about.

“I had seen in the news about the new Community Diagnostic Centres that the government are bringing across the country, so I feel fortunate that this is all happening just in time for my need to be seen. It will bring much-needed services to other local people too.”

Dr Steve Foley, Consultant Gastroenterologist at Sherwood Forest Hospitals Foundation Trust, said: “This new unit is an enormous boost to our capacity and will help us bring down waiting times for diagnostic tests and ensure that many more people can start treatment or receive reassurance promptly. We plan to offer nearly 5,000 extra tests by the end of March, which makes a huge difference to all those patients and their loved ones. We’re very grateful for all the support we’ve received in setting this up, from the trust executive team, the estates team, and the wider Nottinghamshire NHS ICS and CCG teams.”

Sherwood Forest Hospitals Foundation Trust’s Chief Executive, Paul Robinson, who was at today’s opening of the new endoscopy unit, said: “It was a privilege to be present at today’s opening of the new endoscopy unit, and to thank colleagues personally for the hard work they have put into opening the new unit so quickly so that we can start seeing more patients.

“Together with our new mobile CT scanning unit, we know that the new endoscopy unit will help us to reduce unnecessary waiting for patients.

“We understand how worrying and distressing it can be for patients and their loved ones whilst they’re waiting for tests and investigations, and we want to ensure that we’re seeing those patients as quickly as possible so that they can either be given the all clear or receive a diagnosis and start a plan of treatment.”

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