Gold standard for Horton General Endoscopy Department

The state-of-the-art Endoscopy Department at the Horton General Hospital has been accredited by the prestigious Joint Advisory Group (JAG) on Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

JAG accreditation is a patient-centred scheme which is based on the principle of independent assessment against recognised national standards. It was developed for all endoscopy services across the UK in both the NHS and independent sectors.

Independent JAG assessors visited the Endoscopy Department at the Horton General on 6 December 2017 to inspect the facilities, interview patients and staff, and evaluate the clinical care being delivered.

The assessors also reviewed the quality of processes and systems which underpin and support the treatment of patients.

This well-deserved national recognition is great news for patients and staff in the Endoscopy Department which was officially re-opened in November 2016 after Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust invested nearly £2.7 million in it.

The newly refurbished facilities mean that 5,000 patients a year from Banbury and the surrounding areas can continue to access endoscopy services at the Horton General Hospital, instead of having to travel for treatment.

Procedures carried out in the department include gastroscopy, sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy and cystoscopy.

Patients benefit from being treated in improved facilities, in a calm and relaxed environment which protects their privacy and dignity.

Julia Wood, Matron for Endoscopy, says: "The modernisation of our department at the Horton means that we can provide more services locally such as bowel scope screening. This is a new one-off test offered to men and women at the age of 55 to detect bowel cancer earlier.

"Patients are invited to have a flexible sigmoidoscopy procedure to find and remove any small bowel growths, called polyps, that could eventually turn into cancer. The new programme is being rolled out across the NHS in England and will be available at the Horton from June this year.

"Patients registered with a GP in the Banbury area will automatically be invited to have the screening test carried out locally at the Horton General.

"On average, for every 300 people screened, this new test will prevent two people from getting bowel cancer and save the life of one person with early stage bowel cancer."

Eileen Walsh, Director of Assurance at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, adds: "Our investment in the Endoscopy Department at the Horton General shows the Trust is really committed to maintaining high quality services at the Horton.

"Congratulations to our dedicated team of staff for achieving JAG accreditation which is recognised as the gold standard for high quality endoscopy services."

Pictured: Horton General Endoscopy Department staff celebrate their accreditation.

Back row (l to r): Dominic Balchin (Project Manager), Julia Wood (Matron), Tunde Szauervein (Clinical Support Worker), Sanjeeva Korala (Nurse Endoscopist), Dr Jonathan Marshall (Gastroenterology Consultant), Pat Eni (Deputy Sister), Desy Punnamoottil (Staff Nurse), Alison Williams (Staff Nurse) and Hazel Lewis ( Receptionist).

Front row (l to r): Viki Kovacs (Senior Decontamination Technician), Sophie Lai (Staff Nurse) and Carol Sivyer (Clinical Support Worker)