New endoscopy services at the Princess Royal University Hospital

30 January 2024 - Work is underway to expand endoscopy services at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH), enabling our teams to see up to 4,500 additional suspected cancer patients each year

The new construction project – which started recently and will take one year to complete – involves the creation of a brand-new, £20 million standalone, two-storey endoscopy unit on the PRUH site.

An endoscopy involves specially trained healthcare professionals inserting a long, thin tube into a patient’s body through a natural opening, such as their mouth.

The tube has a small camera inside, called an endoscope, which is used to look for signs of disease, including cancer. Endoscopies are usually performed in an endoscopy unit based at a hospital.

South East London has been identified as a priority area for increasing endoscopy provision, and the PRUH currently only has two rooms dedicated to endoscopy services, which is well-short of what is needed in the area, particularly given the high proportion of over 65s living in Bromley.

The creation of the new unit also supports national NHS efforts to increase the number of endoscopy rooms nationally, with a target of having 3.5 rooms per 100,000 population over 50 years of age by March 2025.

Professor Clive Kay, Chief Executive of the Trust, said: “We are committed to improving hospital services for the people of Bromley, and expanding endoscopy services on the PRUH site will enable us to support early detection and treatment of more cancers. This is a positive move for staff at the PRUH who run our endoscopy service, as well as the many patients who will use this vital facility in the future.”

This news appears in the latest issue of our Inside King’s magazine.