In 2012 the Department of Health published the Choice Framework for local Policy and Procedures CFPP 01-06, a technical document that replaces HTM 2030. The vCJD risk reassessment is discussed in this. It is no longer necessary to quarantine endoscopes following procedures in most patients at risk of vCJD (including blood product recipients) provided that national recommendations on decontamination practice are scrupulously adhered to. This update was released by BSG in February 2013. In this there are links to related documents including the CFPP.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have also recently updated their poster on Top Ten Tips for endoscope decontamination. This should be prominently displayed in all endoscope decontamination areas.

Further Information

A nurse specialist from Harrow has been awarded a grant from the latest round of the Shire Innovation Fund for Specialist Nurses (SpNs) in Bowel Care. The Fund supports initiatives that improve the outcomes of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or bowel continence disorders.

Marian O'Connor, Lead Clinical Nurse Specialist (IBD) at St Mark's Hospital in Harrow successfully applied to the Fund to run an IBD patient open day. The aim of the day is to raise awareness of the services that the hospital offers to IBD patients and their families and to recruit new members to the IBD Patient Panel. The award will be used to pay for posters and leaflets to advertise the event and refreshments for attendees.

The next round of funding opens for applications on 14 February 2013. The deadline for submitting applications is 5pm, 3 April 2013.

The aim of the Shire Innovation Fund for SpNs in Bowel Care is to fund nurse-led projects that benefit patient care. The Fund can provide grants of up to £1,500 (total fund £7,500). Any nurse or continence adviser providing care for UK patients with IBD or bowel disorders can apply.

• Further information  [ 44 kb ]

Steve Hughes, BSG Vice-President Endoscopy & Roland Valori National Clinical Director for Endoscopy

There will be a 75% increase (on 2010/11 activity) in lower GI endoscopy demand in England in the next four years, on top of the 50% increase in activity achieved in the last four years. This extra demand arises from screening and symptomatic work. Most services have just been coping with increasing demand in recent years, but waiting lists initiatives remain common place and a few sites have perpetually long waits. Long waits is the most common reason sites struggle to maintain JAG accreditation. There is an urgent need to do things differently to respond to the increase in demand and to make 'just coping' a thing of the past. Learning from sites that maintain low waits indicates there are two key factors that determine how well a service keeps in control of its demand: effective planning and high productivity.

In anticipation of the increasing demand for endoscopy, and appreciation of the pressures endoscopy teams are under, the JAG, in collaboration with the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme, is delivering a series of ten workshops throughout England to help endoscopy teams plan better and be more productive. The principal objective of the workshops is to enable teams to present more effective business plans to their trust boards. They are aimed at the medical and nurse lead, and their manager, and a representative of their PCT. They will be delivered in the next six months and be led by Roland Valori, NCD for endoscopy. You are strongly encouraged to attend. For more details please visit the JAG website: www.thejag.org.uk

The five winning specialist nurses were chosen by the Judging Panel from among 183 nurses nominated by 435 patients. The judges stressed the high quality of the nominations for all the nurses and Crohn’s and Colitis UK has written to every nurse who was nominated giving examples of what their patients said about their care.  A copy of the letter sent to each nurse was also sent to the Chief Executive of their Hospital Trust to raise the profile of the role among their managers.

On behalf of ESGENA and the Dutch Society of Endoscopy and GE Nurses and Assistants (V&VN Maag Darm Lever) they have pleasure inviting you to the 16th ESGENA Conference, which will be held during the 20th UEGW on Saturday 20th-22nd October 2012, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Download Programme [ 250 Kb ]