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Endoscopy

Our Endoscopy service carries out investigations and provides treatment and care for patients with conditions affecting the oesophagus, stomach, bowel and wider digestive system.

We provide general endoscopy services for patients with symptoms such as difficulty swallowing, abdominal pain, reflux, anaemia, or changes in bowel habits.

We see both outpatients and inpatients.

Procedures we offer

Our team performs a full range of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, including:

  • colonoscopy
  • flexible sigmoidoscopy
  • gastroscopy (OGD)
  • transnasal endoscopy (TNE)
  • video capsule endoscopy

We also provide specialist endoscopy services for patients referred by local GP practices, hospital teams and cancer pathways who need more complex procedures, such as:

  • dilation
  • endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)
  • endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)
  • therapeutic polypectomy

Preparing for your appointment

Please read your endoscopy appointment letter carefully, as it will tell you if you need to prepare for your procedure.

Some endoscopy tests require special preparation, such as adjusting your diet, drinking a bowel preparation, or stopping certain medicines before your appointment. It is important to follow these instructions exactly to ensure the test can go ahead as planned.

If you are having sedation, you would be asked to arrange for someone to take you home after your procedure.

Please bring to your appointment:

  • your appointment letter
  • a list of any medicines you are currently taking
  • any preparation or samples your letter asks you to bring
  • a list of any questions you would like to ask the team

If you are unsure about your preparation, please contact the Endoscopy team before your appointment.

What to expect at your appointment

Please allow 1 to 3 hours for your visit, depending on the procedure you are having.

When you arrive, a member of the nursing team will welcome you, confirm your details, review your medical history and current medications, and make sure you understand the procedure before giving your consent. They will also explain what will happen on the day and answer any questions you may have.

Some endoscopy procedures involve sedation to help you relax. If you have sedation, you must arrange for a responsible adult to collect you and stay with you for at least 12 hours afterwards.

After your procedure, you will be taken to a recovery area where staff will monitor you closely. You will then move to a second recovery area and be offered light refreshments while you wait to go home.

After your procedure

Before you leave, the team will explain the initial findings and next steps in your care. Written information will be provided if needed.

Language support

We are committed to providing language support for all patients. Please let us know in advance if you need an interpreter or translation support.

Locations

  • Endoscopy Unit, Level 1, North Wing, Princess Royal University Hospital, Farnborough Common, Orpington, Kent, BR6 8ND
  • Endoscopy and Diagnostic Centre (EDC), Starts Hill Road, Orpington (use what3words ///glove.sung.rests for directions to the EDC entrance)

Contacts

Patients with questions about their appointment, procedure, preparation, results, or follow-up care should contact the Endoscopy team using the details below.

If you need to change or cancel your endoscopy appointment, please call the team using the relevant number below as soon as possible. This helps us offer appointments to other patients. You can also cancel your appointment using the MyChart app.

For specialty‑specific queries, patients should contact their relevant clinical nurse specialist (CNS) team or consultant, as outlined in their communications.

Endoscopy Unit

(Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm):

Endoscopy and Diagnostic Centre (EDC)

(Monday to Sunday, 8am to 6pm):

Information for GPs and referrers

Referrals must include:

  • clinical indication and urgency
  • all relevant blood tests
  • imaging where relevant
  • any endoscopy history
  • current medication list, including anticoagulants

Vetting requirements

Vetting is needed for certain referral pathways, including:

  • inpatient referrals
  • procedures under general anaesthetic
  • capsule endoscopy
  • EUS or ERCP referrals from non‑endoscopists
  • some referrals from the Emergency Department, Medical Ambulatory Day Unit and Same Day Emergency Care.

The following pathways do not need vetting:

  • straight to test
  • colorectal cancer pathways
  • TNE referrals

Internal referrers

Use Epic for all referrals.

Routine referrals

Please refer using NHS e-Referral.

Urgent referrals

For emergency EUS or Upper GI bleeding, call switchboard on 01689 863000 and ask for the on‑call gastroenterology or medical registrar.

For suspected cancer, use the urgent suspected cancer pathway.

Queries

Please use the contact information above. All enquiries will be reviewed and directed to the appropriate clinical or administrative team.

Key clinical staff

 Name                                     Role

 Mr Hasan Al‑Chalabi  Colorectal / Surgical Consultant
 Dr Azhar Ansari  Gastroenterology Consultant
 Dr Vinod Audimoolam  Gastroenterology Consultant
 Dr Maxwell Asante  Gastroenterology Consultant
 Dr Sukhdev Chatu  Gastroenterology Consultant
 Dr Preeti Chopra  Gastroenterology Consultant
 Dr Howard Curtis  Gastroenterology Consultant
 Dr Gajath Dissanayake  Clinical Fellow
 Mr Shamsi El‑Hasani  Colorectal / Surgical Consultant
 Emilio Lagasca  Nurse in Charge
 Mr Danko Kostadinov  Colorectal / Surgical Consultant
 Dr Mayur Kumar  Gastroenterology Consultant
 Jose Santos  Matron
 Juriese Saramosing  Nurse Endoscopist
 Dr Vivienne Sayer  Gastroenterology Consultant
 Miss Rosaria Scarpinata  Colorectal / Surgical Consultant
 Mr Shariq Shuaib  Colorectal / Surgical Consultant
 Mr Tarun Singhal  Colorectal / Surgical Consultant
 Mr Efthymios Ypsilantis  Colorectal / Surgical Consultant