Endoscopy Tests at One Ashford Hospital
Providing a Consultant Delivered Service and Allaying Patient Fears
One Ashford Hospital is pleased to announce that we now have our very own purpose built Endoscopy suite, housing the latest endoscopy equipment. This enables us to offer a wide range of procedures in an environment which prioritises patient privacy and confidentiality. If your doctor advises that you need an endoscopy, our dedicated staff will seek to find the earliest possible appointment for you, offering speedy access to our highly skilled and experienced endoscopy team. Our service is led and delivered by experienced Consultants in the fields of Gasteroenterology and Gasterointestinal Surgery.
We all know that keeping our digestive system healthy is important, and so, if you experience certain symptoms such as persistent indigestion or a change of bowel habit, your doctor may suggest that you be referred for an endoscopy test to investigate these.
A gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy investigation uses a long, flexible tube with a very small camera and light on the end to look inside the gastrointestinal tract. An upper GI endoscopy (OGD, or gastroscopy) is used to look into the oesophagus (gullet), stomach and small bowel, and a lower GI endoscopy, called a colonoscopy, examines the large bowel. These investigations are very effective at finding out if you have a problem in your GI tract such as inflammation, polyps or cancer, and enable the Consultant to take biopsies (small samples of bowel lining) for investigation under the microscope. Our Consultants are happy to discuss their findings with patients at the time of the procedure, and will also see patients for a follow up appointment to discuss any test results. We understand that many people are apprehensive about being referrred for endoscopy tests and we are always happy to discuss any aspect of the process, from the initial referral through to follow up care.
Our Endoscopy Team is lead by Consultant Colorectal Surgeon Mr Thanesan Ramalingam with Mrs Anita Hodgson heading up the nursing team. 
One Ashford
One Hatfield