Endoscopy

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About this service

The Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trusts’ Endoscopy Services have two permanent sites, Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro and West Cornwall Hospital in Penzance. We also provide a mobile service that currently delivers Trans-nasal Endoscopy at Bodmin Hospital.

Across the two permanent sites, there are seven purpose-built Endoscopy procedure rooms and 14 recovery bays. We perform approx. 20,000 procedures per year, caring for adults as both inpatients and outpatients undergoing a variety of endoscopic procedures: including an emergency out of hours service.

Green Endoscopy

At the Royal Cornwall Hospital we are committed to sustainability and environmental responsibility within medical procedures. Our Green Endoscopy programme encompasses the adoption of cutting edge, eco-friendly technologies and practices aimed at minimising waste and reducing the carbon footprint associated with endoscopic procedures.

Some of the things we have introduced are:

Sterimelt machine to melt single use polypropylene masks
Recycling all sterile water bottles
Plastic segregation to repurpose waste
Three mobile destruction unit to capture anaesthetic gases

By integrating these sustainable practices, we not only deliver exceptional care to our patients but also demonstrate our dedication to preserving the environment for future generations, ensuring that every endoscopy performed is not only safe and effective but also environmentally conscious.

Greener Endoscopy (thejag.org.uk)

Service Performance

We are a Joint Advisory Group (JAG) accredited unit. This means we provide the highest possible standards of service and patient safety. For further information please see https://www.thejag.org.uk/information-for-patients

What is an Endoscopy?

Endoscopy is a procedure where the inside of the gastrointestinal tract (gullet, stomach, intestine, and colon) is examined using an endoscope. An endoscope is a long, flexible tube with a light source and a video camera. This can be through the mouth or nose into the stomach (gastroscopy), through the anus into the large bowel (colonoscopy), or through the nose or mouth into the lungs (bronchoscopy).

Endoscopy is generally delivered as a day case procedure and performed using local anaesthesia or conscious sedation.

Procedures performed

Gastroscopy
Trans-nasal Endoscopy
Colonoscopy
Flexible sigmoidoscopy
Enteral tube insertions (PEG, PEJ, PEGJ)
Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)
Endoscopic Mucosal Resection (EMR)

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)- OG, HPB, FNA
Enteroscopy
Small Bowel Capsule Endoscopy
Dilatations
Bowel cancer screening
Bronchoscopy
Endoscopic Bronchoscopy Ultrasound (EBUS)

Conditions diagnosed

Barrett’s oesophagus
Stomach cancer
Oesophageal cancer
Oesophageal and gastric varices
Gastro-intestinal stroma tumours of the upper intestinal tract
Gastric polyps
Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD)
Hiatus hernias
Achalasia
Strictures of the oesophagus
Gastroparesis

Bile duct stones
Primary sclerosing cholangitis
Cholangiocarcinoma
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cysts
Colon cancer and polyps
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
Diverticular disease
Parasites
Haemorrhoids
Respiratory diseases

Facilities:

toilets
hot and cold drinks and biscuits
waiting areas
admission rooms
single sex procedure waiting area
single sex recovery areas
interview room, to talk privately with staff
discharge areas

Contact information

Telephone: 01872 253247
Email: rch-tr.AdminEndoscopy@nhs.net

Booking Office

Telephone: 01872 252923

Referral information

Patients can be referred to Endoscopy from their GP through a two-week wait, urgent or routine referral pathway. The referral pathway determines the length of wait for an Endoscopy appointment.

There are two pathways for ‘Two week wait’ referrals, these are vetted upon receipt by a dedicated clinical team where a decision will be made on the most appropriate procedure, which will either be a Computerised Tomography (CT) scan or Endoscopic investigation.

GPs may refer patients to a Gastroenterology clinic to be reviewed and assessed, this may result in a diagnostic procedure within the Endoscopy Services. Click here for further information on referral guidelines.

Where to find us

First Floor, Tower Block at Royal Cornwall Hospital
Penlee Unit at West Cornwall Hospital

My Endo Pre-Assessment

We are now using a digital pre-procedure assessment application by Ultramed called MyEndo. Please see the following page for full details:

MyEndo Pre-Procedure Assessment

What to expect at your first appointment

Below is what you can expect to happen when you come for your procedure. Different procedures might need different preparation, and this will be explained to you before your appointment in the form of a written leaflet.

When you attend your appointment, you will be greeted by the reception staff who will check your details are correct.

You will be asked to wait in the waiting room until the clinical team are ready for you. The Endoscopy department is very busy, please note that your visit to the department may take up to four hours.

A member of the clinical team will introduce themselves and invite you to go through the admission documentation in a private room.

You will then be prepared for your procedure. Your observations will be recorded, depending on your planned procedure, you may be required to change into a hospital gown.

You will need to sign a consent form and will then wait until the team collects you for your procedure.

Digital Consent

You will be taken into a procedure room where you will meet the endoscopist and the clinical team. Further safety checks will be made prior to the procedure. You are then given a further opportunity to ask any questions that you may have.

Once your procedure is completed, you will be taken to a recovery area, where you will be given sufficient time to recover from your procedure.

Once you are dressed, you will then be escorted to the discharge area where you will be offered refreshments and given your discharge information in a private room. If you have had sedation, you will require a responsible adult who is known to you to escort you from the unit and be available to care for you for 24-hours after the procedure. Unfortunately, we will be unable to discharge you to a taxi or volunteer driver.

The nursing team will also ensure you are provided with written post procedure care advice including contact for advice, out of hours.

Bringing someone with you

A relative or friend is welcome to wait for you at the hospital while you have your procedure, but they are encouraged to go home if it’s not too far away. We will contact them once you have had your procedure, to let them know when they can collect you.

Reasonable adjustments

We are able to provide additional support to patients and their loved ones who may need additional requirements when attending our endoscopy department.

Any reasonable adjustment requests will require a discussion with the Nurse Management Team ahead of the scheduled appointment. Patients should make this known when they are first offered their appointment.

Examples of support can include difficult IV cannulation, learning disabilities support and translation services.

After care

If you have been given sedation for this procedure, you must have someone to take you home and a responsible adult to be available to you for 24 hours.

For this period, you should not:

drive a car, motorbike, or ride a bicycle.
drink alcohol.
operate machinery or do anything requiring skill or judgement.
make any important decisions or sign any legal documents.

You will be given discharge paperwork which consists of a copy of the procedure report and procedure specific discharge leaflet. This will what to look out for following your procedure and who to contact for assistance if required.

Patient Information (Leaflets)

Easy Read leaflets

Leaflets

Health Care videos

Endoscopy Health Care Videos

Useful resources

Patient feedback

We take all feedback seriously and will take action where appropriate. Please visit the Patient Experience page for details on the various methods of providing feedback, including Care Opinion and the Friends and Family Test.

How to give us feedback