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Work has started on a new gastroenterology facility which will ensure endoscopy patients at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals have a shorter waiting time for procedures.

The new modular unit is being installed at Blackpool Sports Centre in Stanley Park and is the next phase of a partnership between the local hospital Trust and Remedy Healthcare Solutions.

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The collaboration will see the project undertake in the region of 6,900 endoscopy procedures when the unit opens in late November.

Diane Wright, Paul Cordy and Deputy Chief Operating Officer of the Trust, Gareth Hobson and the unit being lowered into place.

The NHS website describes an endoscopy as a test to look inside your body where a long, thin tube with a small camera inside, called an endoscope, is passed into your body through a natural opening such as your mouth.

The partnership has already seen additional endoscopy activity. With the Remedy team working in collaboration with the Trust to open a fifth room in the Gastroenterology Unit at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, allowing for an additional 452 patients to be seen since the start of August.

Construction of the modular unit will take place over the next eight weeks. The highly sustainable and environmentally friendly approach uses offsite construction techniques and will only see the loss of nine car parking spaces at the sports centre once the unit is open for business.

Remedy Healthcare install the specialist modular buildings for a new Endoscopy unit for Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. The unit is located with the grounds of Blackpool Leisure Centre. Credit : Stuart Walker

Speaking as the construction of the modular unit got underway, Gareth Hobson, Deputy Chief Operating Officer at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, said: “This partnership will allow us to more quickly treat our patients who have been waiting for endoscopy procedures.

“Our Trust colleagues are already working together with Remedy as ‘one team’ within the hospital, increasing our capacity, and relieving some of the pressure on our service. We look forward to seeing the new unit take shape on Stanley Park, and are excited about what this collaboration will achieve over the next 15 months.”Matt Marshall, CEO, Remedy Healthcare Solutions, said: “We are immensely proud to be working in partnership with Blackpool Teaching Hospitals on this project. The success of what has been achieved thus far is down to engagement and dedication of both teams who are eager to achieve the best possible outcomes and experiences for patients while creating solutions that really make an impact on waiting times. We could not be more excited about the launch of the modular unit and to keep the momentum going.”

New Blackpool hospital collaboration means shorter waiting times for endoscopy patients