Chase Farm Hospital’s endoscopy unit has been recognised for the excellent service it delivers to patients and assessed as a ‘service to be proud of’.

The accreditation comes courtesy of the Joint Advisory Group (JAG) on gastrointestinal endoscopy, the organisation responsible for setting standards and quality in endoscopy.

The dedicated endoscopy unit at Chase Farm was opened in January 2016 and sees patients having a range of endoscopic procedures, such as a colonoscopy.  The unit has four procedure rooms and 13 individual patient pods for admission, recovery and discharge.

Dr Edward J. Despott, consultant gastroenterologist and the Endoscopy Service Lead, said: “This is an important badge of quality for the unit and shows that patients are getting the very best in terms of their experience and treatment. It also shows we are achieving a high level of clinical quality.”

JAG assessors congratulated the team on the “excellent patient service” offered and observed “the team has built a service to be proud of”.

They added: “The assessment team would like to highlight the exemplary facilities offered to patients. The environment alone does not make a great service however the combination of excellent facilities and good safe practices offers patients a quality experience at Chase Farm. In summary we congratulate the service on the tremendous job it has done to achieve the standards for accreditation.”

The assessors noted: “The service has a competent and happy workforce in all areas and this is a testament to the excellent and committed leadership team in the service.”

The report also said:

•    There is an excellent new patient centred facility that offers optimum privacy and dignity for all patients. The design with its individualised pods is one of the best that we have seen. The trust is congratulated on its significant investment in the endoscopy service.
•    There is an excellent culture of safety and learning in the service and this is evident through governance meetings and safety audits.
•    The team is extremely patient centred throughout all of its practices. 
•    The service offers excellent comprehensive patient information and support to patients.
•    The service has a quality administrative team who are highly skilled in their field of work and support efficient patient centred practices.

Dr Despott said: “We are now offering a high quality service with increased capacity; this puts us in an excellent position to take this further forward in our commitment to the delivery world class patient care.”

Notes to editors

About the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust

The Royal Free began as a pioneering organisation and continues to play a leading role in the care of patients. Our mission is to provide world class expertise and local care. In the 21st century, the Royal Free London continues to lead improvements in healthcare.

The Royal Free London attracts patients from across the country and beyond to its specialist services in liver and kidney transplantation, haemophilia, renal care, HIV, infectious diseases, plastic surgery, immunology, Parkinson's disease, vascular surgery, cardiology, amyloidosis and scleroderma and we are a member of the academic health science partnership UCLPartners.

In July 2014 Barnet Hospital and Chase Farm Hospital became part of the Royal Free London. Read 'A bigger trust, a better future'.