The first meeting of the Colon Capsule Endoscopy (CCE) UK Forum will take place on 24 September 2021 (3pm-6pm) at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, as the NHS, third sector and industry come together to consider the role that CCE can play in COVID-19 recovery and the longer-term ambition of eradicating bowel cancer.
The past 12 months have seen significant developments in the world of capsule endoscopy, with the launch of an 11,000 NHS patient trial in England and projects initiated to test complementary AI and self-administration techniques.
At the same time, the pressure on endoscopy services has increased with an escalating level of demand, limited clinical capacity and a reduction in the number of appointments available each day due to COVID cleaning regimes. As of April 2021, there were 187,000 patients on the NHS endoscopy waiting list.
The CCE UK Forum will bring together trusts from across the UK with national leads, industry experts and other key stakeholders to foster enthusiasm and support for the systematic and appropriate adoption of CCE as a key tool in supporting the eradication of bowel cancer and reducing the impact of other gastrointestinal diseases.
Chaired by Professor Ramesh Arasaradnam OBE, Research Committee Chair at the British Society of Gastroenterology and Consultant Gastroenterologist at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, the forum will offer participants the opportunity to hear about the latest developments in capsule endoscopy as well as discuss their own experiences and share best practice.
Topics for the first meeting include:
- Current NHS trials and an examination of the emerging data
- Results from AI developments and clinical trials funded by Innovate UK and NIHR
- A demonstration of the new at-home self-administration solution being pioneered by CorporateHealth International and West Midlands 5G
- Lessons from the longstanding national rollout by NHS Scotland.
As well as Professor Arasaradnam, attendees will hear from Professor Angus Watson, Consultant General and Colorectal Surgeon at Raigmore Hospital, Inverness and Clinical Advisor to the Scottish Government; and Dr Simon Panter, Consultant Gastroenterologist and Endoscopy Lead at South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust.
Anyone working within NHS endoscopy services, or supporting service delivery, who would like to attend the inaugural forum – either in person or virtually – can register their interest by emailing contact.ardengem@nhs.net