Endoscopy Units re-achieve national accreditation
Our two Endoscopy Units have once again achieved accreditation with JAG (Joint Advisory Group on GI Endoscopy) which is part of the Royal College of Physicians. “We take a lot of pride in this as it is about showing consistency and continuous improvement, improving efficiency, raising our profile and sharing good practice,” said Nikki Emmerson, JAG Co-ordinator in Gastroenterology.
“JAG has recognised that we deliver a high-quality, safe and appropriate endoscopy service and our staff are highly trained, highly supported and highly motivated,” added Nikki.
“This is a fantastic achievement for everyone involved and the patients who come through daily.”
To be JAG accredited, the units must follow a set of standards that cover all aspects of a high-quality clinical service and are organised into four core components:
- Clinical quality: Encompassing the service’s role in safe and effective diagnosis, treatment and ongoing management. Key to this is the service infrastructure including leadership and governance
- Patient experience: This is about the service’s role in providing efficient and patient-centred care, which includes reviewing waiting times, facilities and the environment
- Workforce: Focuses on effective training and support for colleagues, including the recruitment, retention and continued professional development of team members
- Training: The training domain reviews the support and development of trainee endoscopists, including appraisal and competencies.
“We are asked to provide evidence to support our application for accreditation and demonstrate compliance with the standards and we all worked together, all year long, to ensure that evidence is kept up to date,” added Nikki.
“As well as the Endoscopy team, we worked alongside Bowel Screening, Decontamination and IP&C teams as their input is essential.”
In 2021, over 350 documents were uploaded as evidence for the five-year accreditation. The team also spent a day with four JAG assessors who interviewed colleagues about the processes, audits, training and patient pathways.
“Having a JAG accreditation allows the Trust to continue to run the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (BCSP),” said Nikki.
“Our units are also JAG approved training centres and they run colonoscopy and gastroscopy courses throughout the year.
“We’re also the lead hub for the East of England Endoscopy Academy and we run immersive training courses for trainees from across the East of England.
“This accreditation represents a great achievement for us and a reassurance for patients that their journey through the units is of a high quality and standard.”