Plans for major enhancements to Stepping Hill Hospital’s endoscopy unit have taken a major step forward now that planning has been officially approved following consultation.

Building contractors have also been appointed for the expanded new endoscopy building which will enable the hospital’s dedicated team to increase its capacity of service in a new and improved environment.  

The hospital has a dedicated team who work in its endoscopy suite, which is used to examine inside a patient’s digestive tract for conditions including Crohn’s disease, coeliac disease and cancer.  Demand for these services is constantly increasing from 10,000 procedures in 2015, to just over 11,200 in 2018, and is expected to grow to over 13,000 a year by 2023.  The complexity of procedures that can be increased meaning that some patients can avoid needing surgery undertaken through an endoscopy procedure.

The expansion will see two new assessment rooms, a new procedure room and a redesigned recovery zone with two single sex areas, together with state-of-the-art new equipment.  The additional capacity will enable the team to carry out many more routine procedures as well as being better equipped to handle emergencies such as bleeding stomach ulcers.  The unit will also have improved training facilities, enhancing training for doctors and nurses.

New artists impressions of the building have been produced to give people a good idea of how the completed work will look. Work will soon be starting on the project which will include demolishing part of the old department to make way for the new extension.  Disruption to services is being kept to a minimum.

The building is scheduled to be complete by May 2022.  

Karen James OBE, Chief Executive for Stockport NHS Foundation Trust said “As demand for our endoscopy service continues to rise, this exciting new expansion at Stepping Hill Hospital will help us both meet that challenge, and provide an enhanced service for these patients. We’re delighted that planning has been approved on this project, and we’re looking forward to the new building being up and ready for use once the construction is finished.”