Work to build a brand new £7 million Endoscopy Suite at Harrogate District Hospital is now underway.
The unit provides around 11,000 treatments each year and has outgrown its current location within the main hospital. The unit was originally built in the hospital in the 1970’s with a capacity for 4,000 treatments a year.
The unit provides a range of services including:
- Gastroscopy
- Colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy
- Bronchoscopy
- ERCP
Lorraine Dyson, Endoscopy Suite Manager, said:
The majority of the work the unit undertakes is diagnostic. Patients often come to us very concerned, but we normally see them within 2-weeks.
The current unit has two procedure rooms and the new unit will see that increase to five – we really don’t want long waiting times for the patients.
Endoscopy is the term that is used to describe the direct visual examination of any part of the inside of the body that can be reached through a natural orifice.
Patients are usually referred by their GP with symptoms such as indigestion, change in bowel habits, weight loss, anaemia and passing blood through the rectum.
During an endoscopy, the inside of the body is examined using a thin, flexible tube that has a video camera at one end – this is known as an endoscope.
The works will provide a much improved environment for patients and staff. Along with the additional procedures rooms there will separate changing facilities. Dedicated admissions and discharge rooms will allow the clinical teams to discuss the procedure with patients in private.
The department has been designed to provide capacity to meet the anticipated future needs of the local population.
Lorraine Dyson, Endoscopy Suite Manager, said:
This is a really positive step for the hospital having a new unit and resources – we are all very excited about the development.
The new unit is being built as a modular construction above the Maxillofacial Department. It will be connected into the existing hospital at First Floor level in the region of the glass tunnel located between ITU/HDU and the Pre Assessment Unit. Locating the unit in this area provides good access to main theatres as well at the Outpatients Department, Sterile Services and the front entrance of the hospital.
This means that the corridor area along the glass tunnel on the First Floor has closed to allow for works to take place.
The location of the corridor closure will means that patients, visitors and staff moving from the front of the hospital to Abbey Wing, Strayside Wing and PAAU will have to do so using the ground floor corridor.
Signage explaining what is happening and the diversion routes to take have bee put up in the hospital just before the works begin.
Lorraine Dyson said:
While the corridor is closed a number of important construction activities will take place, including the installation of structural steelwork, the delivery and installation of the modular buildings that form the new Endoscopy Suite, the installation of new mechanical and electrical services to feed the new department and the rebuilding of the corridor to form the new entrance to the Endoscopy Suite.
All wards and departments will have received an update about the works, and colleagues in key areas such as the Main Entrance know where to direct people if they need help.
The work means the Ground Floor main corridor in the hospital is busier than usual. Thank you in advance to everyone for your understanding. This work is absolutely necessary to create a new Endoscopy Suite for the benefit of our patients for many years into the future.
The current Endoscopy Suite is continuing to function in its current location on the hospital’s Ground Floor throughout the duration of the build, therefore there should be no impact on patient care.
– and patients, visitors and staff are being asked to bear in mind that this will lead to the temporary closure of a main corridor for a few months to allow construction to take place.
