Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL) has been awarded £11.9m from the national NHS England endoscopy programme to expand and develop its endoscopy services.
Endoscopy is an important diagnostic procedure, and this investment will support earlier diagnosis of conditions, including bowel cancer, as well as other gastrointestinal diseases through providing quicker access to endoscopy procedures leading to better outcomes for patients.
The major developments are to take place at both the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary (RAEI) in Wigan and Leigh Infirmary.
WWL’s CEO, Silas Nicholls said: “This funding will help us increase the number of endoscopy rooms at Leigh from three to six, as well as upgrading the current facilities at RAEI, future proofing our facilities, and addressing the expected increases in population demand.
“Projects like these will ultimately play a significant role in reducing health inequalities across the Wigan Borough and improving outcomes for our patients across our wide range services which is fantastic news for both us as a Trust, and the wider community.”
At the RAEI, the investment will support the expansion and reconfiguration of the endoscopy unit, which was built nearly 20 years ago, to provide facilities that meet the requirements for modern service delivery. This will ensure that patients will be receiving the highest possible standards of care, with improvements in privacy and dignity, increased patient choice, and more timely appointments. It will also bring with it the potential to offer bowel screening lists in Wigan for the first time, giving patients in and around the Borough the choice of either Wigan or Leigh for this service. Increases in efficiency from this investment will also support quicker access to endoscopy procedures for inpatients at RAEI.
The site at the RAEI is significantly constrained for space, and as a result, it is proposed to develop the extension of the endoscopy unit to support additional floors above. Occupation of these floors will be the result of future business cases aligned to the clinical requirements of the population of the Wigan Borough. These are anticipated to support improvements to the emergency department as well as developing our surgical services.
At Leigh Infirmary, a dedicated elective surgery and diagnostic site, the investment will increase the number of endoscopy rooms from three to six, within the existing Hanover building on the site.
Dr Michael Gregory, Regional Medical Director for NHS England – North West said: “This investment is great news for the people of Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh, as the expansion and modernisation of endoscopy will mean more convenient access to a range of services, and will give patients the best possible chance of early diagnosis and successful treatment.”
Dr Vin Diwakar, NHS England Director for Transformation, said: “This investment will help improve patient outcomes in Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh area by ensuring earlier diagnosis of conditions and faster treatment for conditions such as cancer, in turn, delivering more tests and supporting our ambition of reducing waits for our patients.”