Health minister visits NNUH

Matt Hancock, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, visited the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) on 28 February.

He began by meeting staff and patients in the new Endoscopy Unit in the Quadram Institute on Norwich Research Park.  Dr Bernard Brett, Gastroenterology Consultant, and Tracy McDonnell, Lead Endoscopy Nurse, showed him the journey taken by patients, from booking in to recovery and discharge. They also demonstrated some of the state-of-the-art equipment used in what’s already one of the largest endoscopy centres in Europe, with the potential to carry out more than 40,000 procedures a year.

He also visited the Weybourne Day Unit, NNUH’s recently refurbished chemotherapy out-patients’ department, where Matt Keeling, Cancer Manager, and Jo Richardson, Lead Cancer Nurse, described some of the treatments that patients receive there, including chemotherapy, blood transfusions and stem cell harvesting. He ended his visit in the Radiotherapy Department, where Mark Gilham, Head of Radiotherapy, demonstrated the lasers used to treat patients.

Mark Davies, NNUH Chief Executive Officer hosted the visit, along with Chairman John Fry and Medical Director Prof Erika Denton. “We were delighted to welcome the Secretary of State and show him some of the innovative treatments and dedicated care that we offer our patients, describe our vision for the future and raise some of the challenges that we’re currently facing.”

Mr Hancock said: “It was great to see the world-class endoscopy centre at Norwich today. Facilities like this, combined with collaboration between clinical staff and academics, are key to the Long Term Plan commitment to save 55,000 more lives a year through earlier cancer diagnosis.

“The team at NNUH are working hard to improve the Trust’s performance over all, and I am encouraged by what I saw today.”