Consultation display

Endoscopy services

Response to the consultation

Evidence submitted in response to this Consultation

Purpose of the consultation

 

As a follow up to the Fifth Senedd Health, Social Care and Sport Committee’s 2019 inquiry on endoscopy services, the Sixth Senedd Health and Social Care Committee is holding a short inquiry to consider what further action is needed to implement the national endoscopy action plan, reduce waiting times, and ultimately improve patient outcomes and survival rates.

 

Terms of reference

In particular, the Committee is considering:

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>>>The impact COVID-19 has had on delivery of endoscopy services and the implementation of the national endoscopy action plan, and the implications of this for patient outcomes and survival rates.

>>>The priority given to endoscopy services in the Welsh Government’s programme for transforming and modernising planned care, including who is responsible for delivering improvements through the reconfiguration of services and new models of care (including additional endoscopy theatres, diagnostic centres and regional units), and how endoscopy services will feature in the new cancer action plan (expected to be published autumn 2022).

>>>Issues relating to recovering and improving waiting time performance, including: reducing waiting times for diagnostic tests and imaging to eight weeks by spring 2024 and support for people waiting for tests and follow up appointments; the active waiting list size for all current inpatient and day-case patients waiting for endoscopic procedures (by modality); the extent to which elective capacity is impacted by emergency activity, and whether there is sufficient data to understand the impact of emergency cases; whether high risk patients requiring ongoing surveillance endoscopic procedures are included in current demand and capacity planning models; the scope for upscaling lessons learned from previous waiting list initiatives such as insourcing, outsourcing or mobile units; and what the current demand and capacity modelling tells us about when a sustainable position can realistically be achieved.

>>>What barriers there are to achieving accreditation from the Joint Advisory Group on GI Endoscopy, including whether health boards are investing sufficient resource in developing the facilities and infrastructure for endoscopy services, decontamination services, and the progress that has been made in expanding the endoscopy workforce.

>>>The current position for optimising the bowel cancer screening programme (i.e. for increasing Faecal-Immunochemical Testing (FIT) sensitivity and age testing) and how this compares to other parts of the UK.

>>>The experiences of younger people and those most at risk of developing bowel cancer (i.e. those living with Lynch syndrome) and efforts to diagnose more patients at an early stage.

>>>Primary care access across different health boards to FIT for patients who do not meet the criteria for a suspected cancer pathway referral and how it is being used to help services prioritise patients and stratify referrals by risk (outpatient transformation).

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Evidence gathering

We want to make sure that our work is informed by a diverse range of experiences, needs, and views.

 

We encourage anyone with expertise or experience of the areas highlighted in the terms of reference to share your views, with the full knowledge that your views will be welcomed and valued.

 

The closing date for submissions is Friday 16 December 2022.

 

Along with your submission, you should provide the following information:

 

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>>>Your name and contact details as the person, or organisation, submitting the evidence.

>>>Whether your evidence is submitted as an individual, or on behalf of an organisation.

>>>If you are submitting evidence as an individual, confirmation that you are over 18 years old.

>>>If you are under 13 years old, your parent or guardian’s agreement that you can participate (this can be provided via email).

>>>Confirmation of whether you would prefer that your name is not published alongside your evidence (names of individuals under 18 years old will not be published).

>>>Confirmation of whether you would like the committee to treat any or all of your written evidence as confidential, with reasons for the request.

>>> If you have referred to a third party in your evidence, such as a parent, spouse or relative, confirmation that they have agreed that you can share information that may be used to identify them and that they understand that it will be published

 

How to share your views

To share your views electronically, please send to SeneddHealth@senedd.wales, or by post to;

 

Health and Social Care Committee,

Welsh Parliament,

Cardiff,

CF99 1SN

 

 

Providing Written Evidence

The Senedd has two official languages, Welsh and English.

 

In line with the Senedd’s Official Languages Scheme the Committee requests that documents or written responses to consultations intended for publication or use in Senedd proceedings are submitted bilingually.

 

We expect other organisations to implement their own standards or schemes and to comply with their statutory obligation.

 

Please see guidance for those providing evidence for committees.

 

Disclosure of information

Please ensure that you have considered the Senedd’s policy on disclosure of information before submitting information to the Committee.