A NEW diagnostic test is reducing the need for invasive endoscopies for some patients within the Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby area.

An endoscopy is a procedure where the inside of the body is examined using an instrument called an endoscope.

An endoscope is a long, thin, flexible tube with a light source and camera at one end. Images of the inside of your body are relayed to a television screen.

But the new diagnostic test called faecal calprotectin helps rule out a range of conditions and makes endoscopies an unnecessary procedure for some patients.

It supports GPs in discriminating between irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Early identification of patients with IBD is enabling quicker referral to the expert secondary care needed to diagnose and manage their condition effectively.

It also means that patients with IBS are not unnecessarily referred to secondary care and do not have to undergo invasive investigations resulting in an improved patient experience, cost savings and better use of NHS clinical resources.

CCG governing board member Dr George Campbell said: “Not only are some of these procedures invasive, they can cause the patient discomfort and carry some risk. Often, patients across our very rural Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby areas have to travel a long way to have these procedures so being able to have investigations done in their own GP practice would save the patient a lot of time and money.

“So far we have seen just over 25 per cent reduction in endoscopy procedures."