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Equipment and Facilities
Colonoscopy Training Facility
A nationwide shortage of endoscopists was causing long waiting lists for colonoscopy. We wanted to improve the endoscopy education and training facilities available to help address the problem.
A £150,000 investment from GUTS in 2018 provided the latest AV training equipment linking operating theatres and endoscopy suites at the Royal Surrey with MATTU (Minimal Access Therapy Training Unit). Watching and learning from experts is an indispensable part of the training process. Doctors and nurses can see live endoscopic and laparoscopic (‘keyhole’) procedures in high-definition and speak with the surgeons and other clinical specialists as they carry them out.
The money GUTS raised was matched by hospital funds.
Papillon radiotherapy machine
GUTS and sister charity Bright raised £200,000 for the purchase of a Papillon radiotherapy equipment for the Royal Surrey in 2014.
This technology offers ‘contact radiotherapy’; the dose is administered very close to the tumour so there is less damage to the surrounding healthy tissue. It is particularly suitable for patients with early diagnosis rectal cancers. Compared to conventional treatment, Papillon allows a higher dose of radiation because it is applied directly to the cancer. There is little or no damage to surrounding healthy tissue and fewer sessions are required. In most cases the patient doesn’t need to have a colostomy so can expect a better quality of life. The machine is also used for patients with other cancers suitably located for this form of treatment
Endoscopy Unit
GUTS provided £93,000 of funding for a screening room at the Royal Surrey County Hospital.
This investment made the Royal Surrey’s unit one of the best equipped in the UK, increasing the number of screening rooms to four. The room also provides a unique teaching aid. Live feed 3-D imagery goes from the unit to Surrey University’s post-graduate medical training school (MATTU) where doctors and nurses are trained in endoscopy techniques.
What is endoscopy?
An endoscope is a long, thin, flexible tube that has a light source and a video camera at one end. The tube is inserted through a natural opening in the body. The clinician operating the endoscope sees images of the inside of the body relayed to a screen. They can guide the scope to particular areas to help make a diagnosis.
A colonoscopy is an internal examination of the bowel (colon) using an endoscope. The tube is inserted into the body via the anus. This can be uncomfortable but it shouldn’t be painful. Patients usually receive a local anaesthetic or sedative beforehand.
You will probably be referred for a colonoscopy if blood is detected in the sample you provide for bowel cancer screening, The colonoscopy is to help establish the cause of the blood, there are a number of possible causes apart from bowel cancer.
Before your appointment you will be advised on what you should eat and drink in preparation for the procedure. You should not have to stay in hospital, colonoscopies are usually an outpatient procedure.