A ceremony took place in Carlisle on 14 August to celebrate the start of building of a £15m Endoscopy Unit on the grounds of the Cumberland Infirmary.
Once complete, the endoscopy unit will be able to treat more patients, helping to reduce waiting lists and improving timely diagnosis, particularly for cancers. Clinical leaders from North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust were joined at the ceremony by construction partners from Ergea and Actiform, and Carlisle MP, Julie Minns, to mark the start of the work. Daya Karat, consultant surgeon at NCIC, explains: “It’s really good news to see this project underway, as it will have such great benefits for our local communities across north Cumbria and for our staff.
“When up and running, the new facility will have more clinic rooms that all meet modern standards, which we are not able to meet in the current environment. Expanding our endoscopy service will help us make faster diagnoses and meet the rising demand for the service. It also brings the Unit in line with what we already have at the West Cumberland Hospital following the redevelopment in 2015.”
The excavation of the original site is now complete, and retaining wall structures are now starting to go up.
The Cumberland Infirmary currently has only one endoscopy room of a suitable size, and two smaller rooms that do not meet national accreditation standards. The new-build will include five clinical rooms and an outpatients’ area. The service’s expansion will mean that patients currently travelling to Newcastle for a procedure can be seen more locally in Carlisle.
Among the main benefits of the unit will be:
- Patients will be able to access endoscopy faster – 99% of patients will receive their diagnostic procedure within six weeks of referral, in line with national standards.
- The additional rooms will have capacity to provide a further 30 lists per week
- Accreditation with the national Joint Advisory Group (JAG) on GI Endoscopy will be achievable, showing best practice and the highest of standards
Mr Karat added: “As well as a better environment for patients, the unit will also provide improved staff training facilities. Any vacancies we have will be filled with mainly current staff who have expressed an interested in expanding their skills. Moving the unit out of its current location in the main hospital also frees up space to expand other departments at the Cumberland Infirmary.”
Julie Minns, MP for Carlisle, added: “I am delighted to see this investment in facilities at the Cumberland Infirmary. When the unit is finished it will be an important step forward for this hospital, and a key step towards bringing down waiting lists locally. Waiting for appointments and test results is a stressful time for everyone, so I was pleased to hear from staff today how this new unit will help expand the Infirmary’s endoscopy service, and ultimately lead to faster diagnoses and reduced waiting times.
Ergéa, the vendor-neutral UK managed services provider, is working with Actiform to build and equip the new endoscopy unit, utilising the latest Modern Methods of Construction.
Transformation Director from Ergéa UK, John Wilkinson, said: “We’re delighted to announce the launch of this project. This achievement is the result of our collaborative efforts with the Trust, where we identified a cost-effective and rapid solution designed to exceed current requirements for its new Endoscopy Department.”
The project is expected to be completed by March 2025.
