The Wolfson Unit for Endoscopy at St Mark’s Hospital is world renowned; being the only unit in the UK to achieve international recognition as a centre of excellence for endoscopy research and training. It was the first unit in London to be accredited as a Bowel Cancer Screening centre in 2006 and is currently one of only six pilot sites in the UK for the Bowel Scope Screening programme, delivering the national bowel cancer screening programmes to the local population.
The Wolfson Unit has developed regional and national referral services for polypectomy, video capsule endoscopy and double-balloon enteroscopy, and provides nationally accredited courses for the teaching and training of endoscopists. JAG-approved training courses take place in the unit throughout the year on upskilling in colonoscopy, basic skills in flexible sigmoidoscopy, training the colonoscopy trainers, and hands-on polypectomy skills. Full details of these courses, including dates and availability, can be found by visiting the JETS (Jag Endoscopy Training System) website.
Between 30-40 physicians, surgeons and nurses deliver endoscopy cross-site at St Mark’s and Central Middlesex hospitals, however the Wolfson unit at St Mark’s has a core team of clinicians and nurses who specialise in endoscopy and deliver services to local and tertiary patients. Professor Brian Saunders is our Director of the Wolfson Unit and of the Bowel Cancer Screening Service, and Dr Siwan Thomas-Gibson is JAG Chair and Deputy Director for Bowel Cancer Screening. They are joined by Dr Adam Haycock, Clinical Lead, Dr Adam Humphries, Small Bowel Endoscopy Clinical Lead; Dr Andrew Latchford, Deputy Director of the Polyposis Registry; and Consultant Endoscopists Dr Ana Wilson and Dr Noriko Suzuki. They are supported by a large team of specialist nurses, endoscopy assistants and technical staff.
The Wolfson unit has six procedure rooms with state-of-the-art equipment and provides endoscopy services for both St Mark’s and Northwick Park Hospital. Together with a smaller, two-room unit at Central Middlesex hospital around 27,000 endoscopies are performed each year. A full range of therapeutic procedures are performed in the unit, including: colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (OGD), double balloon enteroscopy (DBE), video capsule endoscopy (VCE), polypectomy and endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP).
The Wolfson Unit for Endoscopy is located on level 3 of St Mark’s Hospital, accessible through the link corridor between Northwick Park and St Mark’s.