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“I know first hand how invaluable this unit is” - Lord Mayor praises Sheffield Hospitals’ new endoscopy unit at official opening

A new state of the art endoscopy unit at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been officially opened by the Lord Mayor of Sheffield.

The Lord Mayor, Councillor Jayne Dunn, was invited to the unit for a ribbon cutting ceremony and tour of the new facilities to mark its official opening.

The £4.1m development opened last year and has been purpose designed to house cutting edge technology and provide optimum comfort and privacy for patients.

Endoscopy is a non surgical procedure to look inside the body to screen, diagnose and also treat medical conditions. There are many types of endoscopy that view different organs.

Endoscopy at Sheffield includes bronchoscopy, gastroscopy, colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy, Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS), capsule endoscopy, double balloon enteroscopy (DBE) and gastrostomy.

The unit manages standard diagnostic endoscopy as well as advanced therapy such as endoscopic ultrasound, Bowel Cancer screening, and advanced polypectomy. It is also a national referral centre for small bowel disorders and double balloon endoscopy, as well as capsule endoscopy.

Dr Alex Ball, Clinical Lead for Endoscopy at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "There were many members of staff involved in the development of this unit, with patient care at the forefront of the design. There is much greater room for patient admission, recovery and discharge as well as space for education. The modern design and enhanced facilities provide a pleasant environment for patients visiting the unit.”

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals is now one of the largest UK Gastrointestinal (GI) Units and one of only two UK centres to have been recognised as a World Endoscopy Organization Centre of Excellence. In total, there are only 20 centres across the globe.

During the tour, the Lord Mayor was invited to take a behind the scenes look at some of the unit’s groundbreaking technologies including the pill-sized cameras used to examine areas of the bowel that are usually impossible to reach without very invasive procedures.

With a diagnosis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) herself, a condition in which endoscopy is a key part of diagnosis and care, the Lord Mayor is keen to raise awareness of living with the condition whilst serving her term in office.

The Lord Mayor was introduced to the IBD team and members of the IBD patient panel and was invited to see a new ultrasound scanner in action, which is being trialled as a minimally invasive way to assess patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).

The Lord Mayor, Councillor Jayne Dunn said: “It was an absolute honour to officially open the new endoscopy unit and meet the incredible staff and patients. I know first hand how invaluable the unit is, and it was a fantastic opportunity to give my personal thanks and celebrate all of the hard work behind it.”

Kirsten Major, Chief Executive, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust added: “Ensuring our facilities provide a welcoming, and pleasant place for patients to receive care is really important and I would like to thank everyone involved in this fantastic development for their hard work to make it such a fabulous unit. I would also like to thank the Lord Mayor for spending time to visit the team which I know was really appreciated.”