Thousands will benefit from unit expansion - hospital

Staff celebrated the unit expansion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony

A hospital trust has said the expansion of its endoscopy unit means thousands more patients will get quicker access to tests and treatment each year, for conditions like cancer.

Two additional endoscopy rooms have been added to the existing three-room unit at Kidderminster Hospital and Treatment Centre.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust spent £1.5m expanding the unit.

Staff gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completed work.

Endoscopy is a test to look inside a patient's body, and uses a tube with a small camera inside it.

It is the latest in a series of improvements made to county-wide diagnostic services the trust, which also runs the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch, and Worcestershire Royal Hospital, Worcester.

"I have worked in endoscopy since February 1997, and I have seen the unit develop from two procedure rooms to five," said unit manager, Debbie Hathaway.

"I have built a team from 15 to 43 staff, and we are still expanding.

"It has been so rewarding to see the staff and department grow."