The Minister for Health Simon Harris TD will officially open the Endoscopy Unit at Roscommon Hospital on Thursday September 8th.
The facility, which cost €5.5 million to construct, opened its doors to the public on June 1st and has increased the endoscopy capacity of the hospital from 16 procedures per day to 30 procedures per day or 6,000 per annum.
The Endoscopy Department was built above the existing Urgent Care Centre and has an entrance adjacent to St Bridget’s Ward with a separate lift and stairs.
It includes the following areas:
• A reception and a waiting area;
• Two patient preparation rooms;
• A consultation / examination room;
• Two endoscopy procedure rooms;
• A recovery area with a nurses’ observation area where patients rest immediately after the procedure;
• A recovery area / lounge where patients move to when they are getting ready to go home; and
• Decontamination, storage and equipment rooms.
The department is open five days per week and is used to carry out endoscopy procedures for patients as day cases and for patients who are in Hospital. The new unit was designed to follow the flow of patients as they check in, have their procedure, spend time in the recovery areas and prepare to go home. The layout will also reduce stress for patients and help maintain privacy.
Roscommon Hospital has been accredited by JAG to carry out endoscopies, meaning that it meets the highest possible standards of care. The Hospital is an approved centre for colorectal screening under the governance of the National Cancer Screening Service and will cater for patients from throughout the region.