The gastroenterology team at East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust has been awarded the JAG accreditation for endoscopy services – demonstrating that they meet best-practice quality standards.
Gastroenterology’s endoscopy and colonoscopy services are essential to both diagnose and treat conditions involving areas such as the oesophagus, stomach, intestines, and rectum – including some cancers. These services are carried out at Lister Hospital in Stevenage and the New QEII Hospital in Welwyn Garden City, and have continued throughout the pandemic.
JAG (the Joint Advisory Group on Gastrointestinal Endoscopy) accreditation assesses the service on 4 areas – clinical quality, patient experience, workforce, and training.
The lead clinician for the endoscopy service, Dr Nasser Khan, said: “We know how stressful it can be when you attend hospital either for an exploratory endoscopy, or for treatment – and this accreditation means that we can assure patients of the high quality care that they will receive.
“My team has worked extremely hard to maintain high standards throughout the restrictions and challenges brought by the Covid pandemic, and I’d like to thank them for their commitment.”
Medical director Dr Michael Chilvers said: “This is a great recognition of the hard work and commitment of the team – and gives a high level of assurance to our patients that they will receive the best care when they attend our hospitals for an endoscopy.”
