Endoscopy and urology diagnostic: recovery and renewal plan

The Recovery and Renewal Plan

Following on from the initial work, the next phase of the Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal Plan will focus on five key areas:

• Balancing Demand and Capacity
• Optimising Clinical Pathways
• Improving Quality and Efficiency
• Workforce Training and Development
• Infrastructure, Innovation and Redesign

Within the key areas, there are a number of associated actions and five flagship actions, that will provide a national approach to progress Scotland toward sustainable endoscopy and urology diagnostic services.

What Will This Plan Deliver

This plan is predicated on supporting the recovery and renewal of Endoscopy and Urology services and improvement of patient outcomes. This will be done through the implementation of a number of key actions that are focused on reducing the waiting times back to the six week target, during the lifetime of this parliament. The trajectories and timelines are highlighted throughout the plan for delivering each action.

Increased Access/Reduced Demand

• We will provide an additional 20,000 Endoscopies by March 2023, increasing to 25,000 each year from 2023/24.
• We will implement a new National Surveillance Management Framework to mitigate clinical risk, reducing demand for surveillance endoscopy by up to 30%.
• We will introduce a 'Once for Scotland' Patient Management Pathway (Iron deficiency anaemia, Uncomplicated Diverticular Disease and Endoscopy Minimised Follow-up for Oesophageal Varices) reducing demand for new endoscopy by 7,000 and surveillance demand by 4,000.

Sustainable Workforce

• We will rapidly develop a new educational programme for Urology Nurse (non-medical) Advanced Practitioners with cystoscopy skills resulting in 11 practitioners completing their training in 2023.
• We will provide 20 additional practitioners over the life of the plan, delivering a range of Urology interventions and providing an additional 30,000 cystoscopies.
• We will continue the successful Endoscopy Academic Training Programme for Nurse (non-medical) practitioners. 16 participants have been recruited in 2021 completion date up to 2023.
• We will provide 36 additional practitioners over the life of the plan up to 56,000 endoscopies.
• We will introduce National Endoscopy Training Programme provision for basic and enhanced training for up to 70 non-medical and medical trainees per annum.