New endoscopy unit for Bromley and south east London takes shape
Work is continuing on a new building at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) that will expand endoscopy services for Bromley residents and people in south east London.
Construction of the new £20 million, standalone, two-storey endoscopy unit on the PRUH site started earlier this year, and the new facility will enable up to 4,500 additional patients to be seen every year when it opens in 2025.
With the structural frame of the building now in place, Gareth Bacon, MP for Orpington, attended a ‘topping out’ ceremony for the unit on Friday 25 October, together with Professor Clive Kay, Chief Executive of King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and Angela Helleur, Site Chief Executive for the PRUH and South Sites.
The ceremony was marked by a wider event attended by a range of staff and stakeholders. This included members of the endoscopy project team, and staff who will be delivering services for patients out of the facility when it opens next year, as well as Dr Angela Bhan, Bromley Place Executive Director at the South East London Integrated Care Board.
During the visit, Dr Bhan said: “It is wonderful to see the excellent progress being made on such an important healthcare facility for the people of Bromley and south east London. This is welcome extra capacity in the area that will be of huge benefit to our local communities.”
The creation of the new unit also supports national NHS efforts to increase the number of endoscopy rooms nationally, with a target of 3.5 rooms per 100,000 population over 50 years of age by March 2025.
Professor Kay said: “We are delighted that the project to build a new, state of the art endoscopy unit for Bromley residents and people in south-east London is making good progress, and we are on track to open it next year.
“The extra space the unit provides will help our teams see and treat more patients, and aid with the vital early detection and treatment of various conditions, including cancers.”
Speaking at the visit, Gareth Bacon MP, said, “It was good to be shown around the site of the new endoscopy unit at the PRUH. This is going to be a vital facility for Orpington, it will help detect and treat cancers earlier and care for thousands of patients.”
An endoscopy is a non-surgical procedure that is carried out to examine a patient’s digestive tract and can be used to help diagnose a number of conditions, including cancer.
During the procedure, a trained healthcare professional inserts a long, thin tube (endoscope) into the patient’s body through a natural opening, such as their mouth. The healthcare professional can then look for signs of disease.
South east London has been identified as a priority area for increasing endoscopy provision. The PRUH currently has two rooms dedicated to endoscopy services, which is short of what is needed in the area, particularly given the high proportion of people over 65s living in Bromley.