Mobile medical unit provider EMS Healthcare has broadened its endoscopy offer with the launch of Trilogy+, a mobile endoscopy facility which will provide Trusts with additional scoping capacity, in light of recent changes to bowel cancer screening recommendations.
The National Screening Committee now recommends bowel cancer screenings to begin at the age of 50 – lowered from 60, which has caused an immediate surge in demand for endoscopy services. In April 2020, the Faster Diagnosis Standard is also set to come into effect, with NHS Trusts expected to give a definitive diagnosis on cancer within 28 days of referral. The Trilogy+ facility will prove a key resource for NHS Trusts going forward, as the number of procedures rise substantially.
Designed and built to the latest JAG guidelines, the self-contained unit can be deployed on the hospital site or in a community setting allowing endoscopists to perform a range of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, with the capacity to deliver +24 JAG points per day.
Utilising decontamination equipment provided by Cantel UK, the unit can reprocess up to six scopes per hour, and the unit is backed by a Gold PPM (Planned Preventative Maintenance) contract. Other features include a procedure room fitted with a fully integrated piped medical gas system, with CO2, Entonox, oxygen and suction (HTM 02-01 compliant), a private consultation room, three recovery bays, two seated recovery areas, a nurse station, reception area, bathroom facilities and a spacious decontamination suite.
Keith Austin, CEO at EMS Healthcare, commented: “Each year almost 42,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer, making it the fourth most common cancer in the UK. The lowering of the recommended screening age in England and Wales has therefore been a really positive step forward, as it has the potential to save thousands of lives over the coming years.
“To ensure this move is a success, it’s vital that NHS Trusts have the resources to deal with a sharp increase in demand on endoscopy services, especially with the Faster Diagnosis Standard just around the corner. We simply cannot have patients facing delays to receive potentially life-saving diagnostic tests.”
