Endoscopy service at local Treatment Centre achieves prestigious accreditation

Company news

Aug 13, 2010

An endoscopy is a procedure where the inside of your body is examined internally using an endoscope; a thin, long, flexible tube that contains a light source and a video camera, so that images of the inside of your body can be relayed to an external screen.

The accreditation comes from the Joint Advisory Group on Gastrointestinal endoscopy (JAG), whose aim is to ensure the quality and safety of patient care by defining and maintaining standards by which endoscopy is practised in the UK.  The four main areas of criteria assessed were:  clinical quality, quality of the patient experience, training and workforce.

The Endoscopy Manager at Southampton NHS Treatment Centre, Anita Rushford, is delighted with achieving the accreditation.  She said:

“This is great recognition for our service and we are all extremely proud.  All the team are very passionate about their work which I suspect is why we have received outstanding patient satisfaction scores of 99%.  To receive 'Level A' accreditation is great recognition of the team’s work and a boost to the Treatment Centre as whole.”

Paula Friend, the General Manager at Southampton NHS Treatment Centre, said:

“I am delighted with the JAG accreditation for our endoscopy service. This is an outstanding achievement and reflects the quality of service provided by our staff. They fully deserve this accreditation and it confirms what our patient satisfaction results already showed – that we are providing an excellent level of service to NHS patients from throughout the Hampshire area.”

Patient Wendy Cummings

One of the Treatment Centre’s Endoscopy Unit’s recent patients was Wendy Cummings, a sports therapist from Fareham, who was finding work a struggle due to persistent pains in her stomach. 

“My GP said I needed to go to hospital to have some tests and offered me a choice of where I wanted to go” said Wendy.  “He mentioned the Treatment Centre and spoke highly of their treatment so I decided to go there.”

After her GP referred her, Wendy was given an appointment for her initial consultation at the Treatment Centre’s Endoscopy suite just ten days later, with the Consultant recommending an endoscopic examination, for which she was booked in just a week after that.  Wendy said:

“On both my visits the staff were just brilliant, they reassured me along the way and what I really liked is the fact they were honest - if it was going to be uncomfortable then they would say exactly that, so I knew what to expect.”

Wendy’s examination showed there was nothing untoward happening and she was able to leave the Treatment Centre without further worries.

“After the examination it was great to hear I was all clear.  I seemed to feel better immediately after my procedure as I could relax knowing I was ok.  Immediately after my examination I recommended the Treatment Centre to a business partner and wouldn’t think twice about recommending it to other friends and family.”

-ENDS-

For more information about Southampton NHS Treatment Centre please contact:

Marc Rogers

Mob: 07787 781131
E-mail: Marc.Rogers@careuk.com