The Bowel Cancer Screening team had an external Quality Assurance inspection which took place late last year across three sites and two NHS Trusts. 

The team were visited by an external QA team who are like a mini CQC, their role is to ensure that the Bowel Cancer Screening team maintain quality standards, is safe for our patients and is well run.  There will be an official report produced within the next 10 weeks which will be sent to the Chief Exec of both CHFT and MYT and it will appear on the national website https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/bowel-cancer-screening-quality-assurance-local-visit-reports  

The Bowel Cancer Screening team which includes Pathology/Radiology /Administrators/Specialist Screening Practioners/Assistant Screening Practioners /Endoscopists and the Endoscopy dept all took part in the visit which took place over three days and involved a lot of preparation, evidence uploads and hard work all at a time when we have seen an increase in demand for the service of 133%. 

The QA team gave initial feedback and congratulated the team for continuing to maintain their KPI’s & standards given the huge increase in workload being seen across the region since the introduction of FIT.  They said that this visit had produced the lowest number of recommendations the team had given in a very long time and that we should be proud of our achievements.

In my opinion the whole team epitomise the phrase “working together to get results” and this clearly showed in the visit.

After the visit some of the team celebrated in the time old tradition of food and booze and to say goodbye to their Clinical Director Steve Hodge who leaves the Trust after 10 years (as you will see from the pics the team also gave him back some of the hair he lost along the way).

Joking apart the Bowel Cancer Screening team are a very hard working, professional team who probably do not get the recognition they deserve, they go about their business silently and professionally always putting the patient first and standing in their shoes.  They work over and above their contracted hours regularly  never complaining about it to ensure that our patients pathways are seamless and that our patients get the best possible patient experience.  They are truly wonderful.

I would be grateful if you could recognise their efforts by including this in the Trust news.