This article is from page 4 of the 2013-03-12 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
ENNIS General Hospital has been given the green light not just to provide the first bowel-screening programme for Clare, but for the whole mid-west region and beyond.
Hospital Manager Frank Keane, who will remain on at the hospital until the new management structure is up and running, described the accreditation of the hospital’s endoscope service by the UK-based Joint Advisory Group (JAG) as “a major feather in the cap of Ennis hospital.”
The status was not easily achieved, he reminded journalists and medical professionals at a press launch yesterday (Monday).
“The National Cancer Control Programme announced at the end of 2010 that a colonoscopy screening would be provided to an isolated age group,” he said.
At that point, centres throughout the country vied for the tender to provide screening services. Ennis General Hospital was one of 15 centres picked as a potential candidate, but it still had a lot of work to do.
Firstly, the endoscopy unit only existed on paper at the time. Once it was built, it had to receive hardsought accreditation from JAG, which is the standards body for endoscopy throughout the National Health Service. In 2011, this accreditation was deferred due to the issues relating to the length of the hospital’s waiting list and waiting lists throughout the mid west.
In September last year, issues relat ing to waiting lists had been rectified and on February 28, Ennis General Hospital got the green light.
Mr Keane said that while Ennis will provide the screening service for all of the mid-west, and areas outside the mid-west, the hospital will continue to work with the unit in Nenagh who is also seeking accreditation if and when more screening centres are opened.
Advance Nurse Practitioners are also being employed at every unit. As there are currently no such positions in the country, these specialised nurses are being employed especially.
Kathleen Stack took up the position in Ennis on Monday last, and will coordinate with patients who take up the offer of this life-saving screening.
“Ennis hospital has a bright but different future,” explained Mr Keane.