Guernsey endoscopy waiting list patients 'at risk'

Some patients waiting for an endoscopy in Guernsey may be "at risk" because of a large backlog in procedures, the States medical director has warned.

The government has announced a tender process to bring in clinicians to help clear the list, which is three times longer than before the Covid pandemic.

More than 430 people were on the gastroenterology waiting list as of Tuesday, Dr Peter Rabey said.

"We're worried that there is risk to patients in waiting too long," he said.

Dr Rabey said it was impossible to say how much the move to bring in extra clinicians would cost.

"We saw a big increase in patients waiting as a result of Covid," he said.

"Although we've got it down slightly, we don't have capacity to get it right back to where we want it.

"Although a lot of patients who get an endoscopy have completely normal results, and some have benign disease which can be treated with tablets and things, there will be some patients who might have cancer and we need to find out as best as possible".

Dr Rabey said it was the first time Guernsey's Princess Elizabeth Hospital had sought off-island teams to come in to help in this way.

Once the list could be "blitzed" with help from doctors and nurses from elsewhere in the UK, he said he felt confident it would be possible to keep it "in a steady state".

He was unable to say how much it would cost at this stage but said it "would not be the cheapest way of doing it".

Dr Rabey said the endoscopy waiting list was "the most worrying" alongside that of orthopaedic services, for which separate measures have been taken.

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