A ground-breaking project to provide additional capacity for endoscopy procedures is helping to reduce waiting lists across Greater Manchester.

Developed by the Greater Manchester Elective Reform Programme, Vanguard Healthcare Solutions, and 18-Week Support; the project has created a dual-procedure endoscopy suite based at Fairfield General Hospital in Bury.

The Greater Manchester Elective Reform Programme, through the GM Provider Federation Board, which brings together health providers across the region, worked together with Vanguard to create the innovative solution. 

The design includes a Vanguard mobile laminar-flow theatre with two procedure rooms which have been seamlessly integrated with a multi-room bespoke temporary modular building, also created by Vanguard. 

As well as the two procedure rooms, the suite, which is sited separately to the main hospital building, also includes a six-bed recovery bay, two consultation rooms, and full staff and patient facilities. 

Recovering from COVID

It has been specially commissioned by Greater Manchester Provider Federation Board to support the delivery of endoscopy services across Greater Manchester following the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

To assist the trust to staff the unit, Vanguard is providing a unit facilitator, while 18 Week Support, the UK’s largest clinical insourcing healthcare provider, has sourced eight specialist endoscopy nurses and two clinical consultants to ensure the unit is fully operational, seven days a week. 

Reception and portering services are provided by the trust. 

During its first six months the unit has been supporting patients from hospitals across four trusts, including Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust and Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust. Procedures include full colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, and gastroscopy. 

A number of NHS partners have been working together to support the recovery of services as a region, and this is one of the first projects to provide access for all regional patients

On average, each day’s list accumulates around 48-52 JAG points and lists are run on a single-gender basis daily.  

And the project has been such a success that the initial six-month contract has now been extended for a further six months, with the unit now due to remain on site until the end of the year.

Asia Bibi, programme manager at the Greater Manchester Elective Reform Programme, who has been overseeing the project, said: “A number of NHS partners have been working together to support the recovery of services as a region, and this is one of the first projects to provide access for all regional patients. 

Cutting waiting times

“I am pleased at the pace we have been able to set this up in order to restore services for our patients. 

“Furthermore, waiting times for an endoscopic procedures have reduced considerably as a result of the project.”

Simon Conroy, National Endoscopy sales manager at Vanguard, adds: 

“Many of the patients the unit is seeing are having surveillance procedures and are, of course, very relieved and grateful to have their appointments. 

“Staff tell us it’s a light, bright, spacious, and well-equipped environment to work in and even that the unit provides more spacious than standard endoscopy procedure rooms and recovery areas.

“We’ve been delighted to work with the GM Elelctive Reform Programme and 18 Week Support to deliver this really-important project, and we will continue to be part of the team delivering essential patient care for another six months on site at Fairfield General Hospital.”