Work starts on £3.5m scheme to improve endoscopy service

The 3.5m scheme will provide modern facilities for around 6,500 procedures a year.

A 37 metre high crane has been moved onto the hospital site to allow building materials and machinery to be lifted into the area which will be home to the new endoscopy unit, which should be completed by the end of the year. It will provide:

Four individual consulting/ preparation rooms;

Three fully-equipped rooms for endoscopy;

A two-phase recovery area – one for people who are coming out of sedation and another area for patients to relax while they wait for relatives;

A waiting area and quiet room;

Improved staff facilities, including a seminar room for trainees.

Consultant Dr George Sobala said: "Over the last 30 years endoscopic procedures have established a fundamental role in the diagnosis and treatment of many conditions. Many cancers can now be detected, treated, and even prevented and cured by endoscopic techniques."

He added that the new unit at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, and its new sister unit at Calderdale Royal Hospital, will allow more patients to be treated, "in a more spacious, comfortable and safe environment."

Endoscopy uses both fibre-optics and video technology to allow operators to see inside a patient's body and can also be used for a range of medical procedures.

At Calderdale Royal Hospital work on the new 2.8m endoscopy unit scheme is continuing and it is hoped it will be up and running in the autumn.