Althea UK and Ireland – the leading medical technology services provider – has announced that they have launched an Endoscopy Transformation Service.
The service is aimed at both NHS & Private hospitals striving to meet the demands on their endoscopy services related to increasing demand and the latest regulatory requirements (JAG/IHEEM/HTM).
The annual growth in endoscopy procedures is typically creating a demand/capacity mismatch; combined with the need to meet stringent regulations, hospitals are struggling to identify long-term solutions without interrupting their service. Currently many hospitals are responding to increased demand with expensive insourcing and mobile interim services.
To support hospitals develop sustainable long-term cost-effective solutions, Althea have a dedicated endoscopy team of experts who are able to provide advice and analysis on all aspects of the endoscopy service, backed by architects who have undertaken over 20 endoscopy department programs and are able to provide hospitals with complete build “Turnkey” capability from project design to completion.
Both patients’ and professionals’ expectations of endoscopy have increased greatly since the JAG standards were first introduced. Effective leadership and forward planning are essential to achieving the goal of creating a modern service that is trusted, focused and sustainable – one that offers users a great experience, creates a high-quality environment and reflects today’s needs.
It is Althea’s mission to ensure both facilities and equipment are fully utilised in the most operationally- and cost-effective way; meet JAG, IHEEM & HTM standards; and support the anticipated growth in procedures over the next 7-10 years.
Combining Althea’s private sector expertise with the hospital insights could be the key to unlocking the Endoscopy Modernisation needs of many struggling endoscopy departments.
David Rolfe, UK&I Chief Executive Officer at Althea, said: “We are pleased to launch this new service helping to increase NHS capacity at a critical time. Althea has been a trusted partner for the acute healthcare sector for the last 20 years; the company manages and maintains medical technology in hospitals and is entirely vendor-independent, meaning we can combine the best technology from across all manufacturers. At a time when healthcare providers are facing unprecedented demand, the company aims to support hospitals with increased capacity and new technology delivered in the most cost effective and clinically effective way.”
During covid-19, Althea played a key role in setting up equipment at the London NHS Nightingale Hospital which was set up to administer emergency care to covid-19 patients. Specialist engineers from Althea have unpacked, built, tested and commissioned over 2750 pieces of equipment to be used at the emergency hospital and have helped advise the NHS procurement team in sourcing vital equipment.
Today the company is launching the Endoscopy Transformation Service to help further support Trusts & Hospitals meet the JAG accreditation standards.
An Althea Endoscopy Transformation Service provides the hospital with a proven partnership model to achieve improved quality of care, improved cost effectiveness and utilisation of their facilities. It allows access to build/reconfigure estate and innovative technology for a fixed annual fee, whilst managing all equipment concerns including maintenance and ongoing replacement, in a bespoke model.
In a recent project at Shrewsbury & Telford NHS Trust, Gina Caton, Endoscopy Operations Manager, said: “Althea’s multi-disciplinary team have been the catalysts for change. They supported a re-design of both our endoscopy departments in line with JAG & HTM requirements. Their analysis of our patient procedure growth clearly demonstrated to us an urgent need for additional clinical and operational capacity.
“Their team has provided invaluable guidance throughout the development of our business case and ensures our endoscopy facilities are fit for purpose for several years to come.”
For further information https://althea-group.com/uk
