A NORTH-EAST hospital aims to cut waiting times for its patients thanks to a new extended £460,000 endoscopy suite.
The suite at Darlington Memorial Hospital was opened by former England rugby union star Rob Andrew.
Health chiefs say the new unit, funded by a Government grant awarded to South Durham Healthcare Trust last year, will enable the hospital to run additional clinics and reduce waiting times.
Endoscopy is used increasingly in the diagnosis of illnesses such as cancer, as well as for treating gallstones and haemorrhoids.
Endoscopies avoid the need for general anaesthetic, which means patients recover more quickly from the procedure.
Peter Trewby, consultant physician at the Memorial, said: "It is wonderful to move into a fully-equipped twin theatre suite that will help us keep up with the increased demand on our services."
A spokeswoman for South Durham Healthcare Trust said: "The extended service will also include one-stop colorectal and urology clinics to lessen the number of hospital visits a patients has to make."
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