The new regional Endoscopy Unit at Queen Margaret Hospital, Dunfermline was officially opened recently by Alex Neil, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing.
As well as providing a local service for Fife patients, the unit will also provide diagnostic and surveillance tests for regional patients from NHS Lothian and NHS Forth Valley. Up to 7,000 patients are expected to use the facilities each year.
The £1.8 million purpose-built unit, which opened to Fife patients at the end of May 2014, comprises two procedure rooms and eight assessment rooms, alongside excellent admission and recovery facilities. Pre and post procedure care is separated, and facilities also include a new, modern endoscopy reprocessing unit, used to clean endoscopy equipment.
NHS Lothian patients have already begun to access the unit since the middle of July 2014, with NHS Forth Valley patients expected to use the unit in the coming months.
David McPherson, NHS Forth Valley’s General Manager for Surgical Services, said: “Patients in Forth Valley already have the option of having their endoscopy performed in Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert or at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital in Clydebank. The opening of this new regional unit will further increase capacity and give local patients the additional option of having the procedure carried out in Fife.”
