HSC partners with UK firm to clear endoscopy waiting list
A WAITING list for gastroenterology endoscopy checks should finally start coming down, after Health & Social Care announced a partnership with a UK company.
Medinet is a long-standing partner to the NHS and now intends to run nine weekend clinics in Guernsey over a 12-week period.
The clinics will run from Thursdays to Sundays, with 12 sessions scheduled over those days, resulting in around 50 patients per weekend being seen to clear the list that currently stands at about 1,000 people.
Health Equality for All chair Mike Read said the announcement of a partnership was a big step forward.
‘It must be such a relief and pleasing for everyone on the list that we’re now in a position to tackle the delays.’
Medical director Dr Peter Rabey was happy to confirm a partner following a delayed procurement process that saw seven firms tender for the contract.
‘Medinet has been chosen following a very thorough tender process and they have demonstrated their considerable expertise in gastroenterology surgery along with their commitment to delivering the highest quality care to their patients,' he said.
Pre-Covid the waiting list was less than 150 patients and by March 2021 the number of patients waiting had risen to 492.
As at the end of April 2023, the inpatient waiting list for symptomatic gastroenterology patients was 536 with the number of outpatients waiting for over eight weeks increasing seven-fold between February 2023 and May 2023.
Aerosol-generating procedures being stopped due to Covid risks alongside a lack of theatre capacity, and the Medical Specialist Group losing two permanent consultant gastroenterologists are believed to be the main factors behind the backlog.
HSC is now in the process of contacting eligible patients who will be being offered a pre-assessment appointment.
It will confirm a patient’s suitability for an endoscopy procedure and a date for this procedure will be also confirmed during the appointment.
‘We have provided experienced teams of consultants and nurses to carry out endoscopy procedures in hospitals across the UK for over 17 years and are looking forward to working with the Guernsey team to provide a high-quality, patient-focused service,’ said Medinet medical director Dr Jean Challiner.
Once the waiting list for gastroenterology procedures is back under control, the bowel cancer screening programme will re-start.
