A NEW £5 million endoscopy hub - which will be used by patients across the region - has officially opened.

The hub, located in the Nightingale Building at Halton Hospital, is part of a wider endoscopy transformation programme.

It will provide a "modern space" for diagnostics, surveillance, and bowel cancer screening for patients across Cheshire and Merseyside.

The hub has four new endoscopy rooms, each equipped with "state-of-the-art" technology and equipment, and a new recovery area providing five additional beds.

Some of the team in one of the new endoscopy rooms (Image: Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust) The endoscopy hub will improve access for patients across the region, with a greater choice of appointments to reduce waiting lists and provide a better patient experience.

Daniel Moore, acting chief executive at Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals, said: "It is fantastic to see this dedicated endoscopy hub open as the next phase of our development at Halton Hospital.

"Working together across the region is critical to delivering the best patient care and by providing additional services at a central hub we can offer more capacity to give patients quicker access to vital diagnostic procedures."

The hub will also provide alternative procedures such as trans-nasal endoscopy, capsule colonoscopy, and the 'innovative' cytosponge or 'pill on a string' procedure, which are all less invasive and have a faster recovery time for patients.

The endoscopy hub has been funded through the Cheshire and Merseyside (C&M) Endoscopy Transformation Programme, which aims to improve the provision of endoscopy services across the region for a population of 2.7 million.

The new recovery bay in the Endoscopy Hub (Image: Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust) Dr Neil Haslam, clinical lead for the Cheshire and Merseyside Endoscopy Network, said: "This new endoscopy hub will support all our trusts to work collaboratively as one service to make best use of our resources to help diagnose and treat people sooner.

"As a network, we are committed to developing services that are fit for purpose, with equal access and shorter waiting times.

"Having this central hub will provide a welcoming environment that is truly patient-focused, offering tests closer to home and an improved overall experience."

Development work at Halton Hospital continues with the ongoing construction of the £8 million purpose-built diagnostics centre and phase two of the theatre’s redevelopment, scheduled to open in 2025.