An expansion of cancer screening, with a push to further reduce waiting times, may lead to a new role on the NHS estate for the UK fleet of mobile endoscopy units.
Health Secretary Alan Johnson said: “By speeding up the time taken to diagnose and treat patients with suspicious symptoms, we will provide an even better service for cancer patients. This is a great step forward in cancer care that will improve care and save lives.”
The Government strategy comes at a time when Vanguard Healthcare has just taken delivery of the UK’s third mobile endoscopy unit.
The previous two mobiles have already done sterling service for the NHS working at various NHS sites including Livingston Hospital (NHS Lothian), Furness General Hospital (University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust) and at King’s College Hospital NHS Trust.
The mobiles each provide 200 m2 of clinical space and a recovery area, offering the potential to see 20 patients per day. Transported on low-loaders to any site in the UK, the units have shown that they can be ready for work within about an hour of arrival, swiftly providing the estate with a valuable temporary increase in capacity. The units contain state-of-the-art gastroscopy, colonoscopy and cystoscopy systems as standard. With eight patient trolley beds and monitoring systems they also have HTM 2030 compliant endoscopy sterilisation facilities and reverse osmosis water systems and a medical vacuum system.
The treatment area conforms to Grade C EuGMP and incorporates a patients’ changing room, an ODP station, two toilets and a consultants office. They have proved popular. Ian Cumming, University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust chief executive, hailed the mobile service as an innovative collaboration between the Trust and Morecambe Bay PCT to address the needs of particular groups of patients without affecting services to others.
Imelda Shannon, King’s Endoscopy Unit service manager, said: “The refurbishment we are doing in the hospital’s endoscopy suite will allow us to install more up-todate equipment, which in turn will let us work more efficiently to benefit our patients. During the refurbishment, the mobile unit’s facilities and specialist staff will allow our patients’ examinations and investigations to be carried out swiftly and professionally.”
Brian Cavanagh, NHS Lothian chairman, said: “This is an innovative way to address the needs of particular groups of patients without affecting services to others.”
Vanguard’s director of operations, Mary Smallbone, commented: “I think an important part of the equation is that not only are clinical standards high in the mobiles but they also achieve a high throughput which makes them costeffective. “The point is that an NHS Trust or PCT can add to its cancer screening capacity virtually overnight without planning permission – and without doing it permanently.
“The only potential pinch-point is that we have just the three units but by working closely with our NHS partners to schedule delivery, and support staff, we feel we can play an important part in this new drive against cancer.”
