2 November 2011
The newly refurbished endoscopy unit at St Helier (where patients' digestive and respiratory systems are examined using fibre optic cameras), was declared officially open by local MP Tom Brake in front of proud staff recently (21 October 2011).
Tom cut the ribbon to the unit, which underwent a huge £1.4 million revamp earlier this year, after hearing from staff how the cash injection has benefited local patients and helped to even further improve the service they are providing.
The multi-million pound investment has funded an additional doctor and four extra nurses on the unit, new state-of-the-art equipment and a cutting edge decontamination unit for cleaning, processing and storing the endoscopes, which cost £600,000 alone. These improvements mean that patients receive treatment faster than ever before, and as endoscopy tests can detect life-threatening cancers, it is vital that they are detected as soon as possible.
Tom Brake (who is MP for Carshalton and Wallington) said: "It's an absolute pleasure to officially open the brand new endoscopy unit, and to hear from staff about the wonderful improvements that have been made to the department.
"It is obvious that the refurbishment, which has been designed from the ground up by the doctors, nurses and other staff who work here, means that local people are receiving a high level of care promptly.”
Chief Executive Matthew Hopkins was also at the opening ceremony. He said: "We were pleased to welcome Tom to our hospital and invite him to cut the ribbon to the new department.
"The endoscopy staff have worked hard to make sure that the care they are giving to our patients is absolutely second to none, and on behalf of the Trust and the people that we serve, I would like to say a huge thank you to each and every one of them. They should all be very proud of what they have achieved.”
Mr Ashraf Raja is the Trust's lead doctor for endoscopy. He said: "In recent years, we have seen a huge increase in the number of people who need endoscopic procedures. It is therefore vital that we continue to treat them as promptly as possible with the very best equipment available. We have not only refurbished and renovated the unit, but also brought the working practices and level of care to a very high standard."
"The new decontamination unit is absolutely state-of-the-art, and I think we are all particularly proud of it. It means that our equipment is fantastically clean, and it also electronically tracks our medical instruments all over our hospitals – so we know exactly where each one is at any given time. It allows us to be sure that our patients are as safe as they can possibly be.”
The investment has also funded a larger, brighter recovery area, costing £80,000 and a brand new waiting room for patients, costing £150,000 (which was funded by the St Helier League of Friends). Importantly, the refurbishment and redesign was lead by the unit's doctors and nurses, who used their expert knowledge to make sure that the new layout is safe and as efficient as possible.
