HEALTH chiefs have proposed a £130,000 investment to increase the number of endoscopy procedures at Evesham Community Hospital from 294 to 645 a year.
The move comes in a bid to tackle rising waiting times, freeing up operating theatre space at the Alexandra Hospital and Kidderminster Treatment Centre.
The proposal, by Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, comes to meet the ‘high and growing’ demand for endoscopy.
Endoscopy covers several different types of procedure which involve putting a fibre optic tube into the body to take samples and even operate on a patient’s internal organs.
Under the proposals, cystoscopy and gastroscopy procedures would be moved to Evesham with colonoscopies remaining at Kidderminster, the Alex and Worcestershire Royal.
The six-figure sum this year would be followed by £260,000 in subsequent years to fund extra equipment.
Should the plans go ahead, the new equipment will arrive in Evesham from the end of the month with procedures beginning in October and increasing over the next two years.
