The Day Surgery Unit at Andover War Memorial Hospital takes great pride in offering excellent care throughout your journey with us, as your experience is crucial for our continuous improvement. We are an endoscopy JAG accredited unit and our latest CQC (2020) inspection assessed us “Good” in all areas.
We cu
rrently offer a range of Ophthalmology, Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT), and diagnostic Endoscopy procedures to our local community and surrounding areas.
All procedures are carried out under local anaesthetic. Endoscopy also offers light (conscious) sedation, anaesthetic throat Spray or Entonox.
Our unit can be found on the ground floor of Andover War Memorial Hospital (AWMH), which is a five-minute walk from Andover train station. There’s also a bus stop by the main car entrance currently serviced by Stagecoach South.
For an easier walk-in access, please use the entrance at the front left of the hospital.
For further directions and parking details please click here.
For an accessibility guide please click here.
Please note there is limited space within the unit’s waiting area and relatives will be asked to return at a specific time in order to give priority seating to our patients. If relatives or carers wish to go home, we will telephone to inform them that you are ready to be collected. If your relatives or carers wish to remain within the hospital, they are welcome to use Peaches Restaurant facilities until we telephone you for collection.
Endoscopy is a procedure that uses a long, thin, flexible tube with a camera at the end called an endoscope or scope, to diagnose or treat conditions within the gastrointestinal tract.
What types of endoscopy procedures do we do?
- Gastroscopy: It is performed to look into the oesophagus, stomach, and the first part of the small bowel
- Flexible Sigmoidoscopy: It is performed to look at the lining of the left side of the large bowel.
- Colonoscopy: It is performed to look at the whole of the large bowel.
How will I know I am coming into hospital for my procedure?
You will receive a letter from us with all the details about your procedure, as well as all the information you need to prepare for the procedure. If your procedure is urgent, the booking team might email, ring and/or text you the information. They might also ask you to collect any necessary preparation from us if you’re scheduled for colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy. Please take the time to read the whole letter once you receive it as it will contain the information you will need to prepare for that day.
If you have any queries before your procedure, please contact can us or the booking team using the numbers in the letter.
What will happen on the day of procedure?
When you arrive, you’ll report to our Reception so we can take your details. You’ll then be asked to wait in our waiting room until the admission team calls you.
Please be advised that our unit has 3 procedure rooms, and they all have different timings, so you might see someone arrive after you and be called first, they will not be scheduled for the same Endoscopist as you.
After a short admission conversation, where we will discuss the procedure that you are to have, we will ask you some questions about your general health and check your blood pressure. You will be given the opportunity to discuss the type of anaesthesia we offer.
If you would like to have sedation for your procedure, we will inform you of the pros and cons of this, like inability to drive yourself home and the need for a carer until the next day. We also offer Entonox (gas and air) instead of sedation for colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy. Using Entonox means that you will be able to drive yourself home half an hour after the procedure. If you are having a gastroscopy, you’ll be offered light sedation and/or anaesthetic throat spray. Entonox is also a choice for gastroscopy but less common.
You’ll then be shown to your bed space, where you can safely store your belongings in a designated locker and wait to be called for your procedure. You might wait for a short time while the previous case is ongoing.
If you are going to have an endoscopic procedure of your bowel, we will ask you to change into a theatre gown and modesty and dignity shorts. Once it is your turn, you’ll be taken to the procedure room and following completion you will return to your bed space in our recovery ward, where you will be monitored by a registered practitioner.
Who will be doing my procedure?
All the staff who carry out the procedures have been specially trained in endoscopy. While most are qualified doctors, we do have nurse endoscopists who are specialised in doing endoscopy procedures. The training of all the doctors and registered practitioners is carried out according to national standards, and no-one is allowed to do a procedure unsupervised unless they have completed an approved comprehensive training programme.
How long will my procedure take?
While the procedures are short (up to an hour for colonoscopy) we always advise that you may be with us for up to four hours. In most cases this will be a lot shorter.
How will I be after the procedure?
Once you have recovered sufficiently you will be allowed to go home. If you have had sedation, we strongly advise that you have someone to stay with you overnight, as the effects of the sedation can last for up to 24 hours. When it’s safe to do so, we will offer refreshments, biscuits and have a conversation about your after care at home and any future follow-up appointments. If you have any special dietary requirements, please bring your own snack as the current choice is limited.
We will provide you with a full report of your procedure before you leave our unit, and a copy will be sent to the clinician that referred you. This means that you will be fully informed of the outcome of your procedure.
We will also let you know if you need to have any further investigations.
If you recently changed GP, please let the discharge team know.
If a biopsy was taken, these will be sent to Histology Laboratory at Winchester Hospital and the nurse will tell you who to reach if the results are not shared with you in a timely manner.
Guts charity
Guts UK is the charity for the whole digestive system, top to tail.
Information about endoscopy procedures – NHS England
Gastroscopy
Information about Sedation – Royal college of Anaesthetists
Sedation explained
What types of procedures do we do?
In our unit the most common procedures are to treat cataracts and glaucoma. Occasionally, we will also treat benign growth in conjunctiva tissue (pterygium), inject medicines to treat the ‘wet’ form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and Diabetic macular oedema (DMO).
How will I know I am coming into hospital for my procedure?
You will receive a letter from us with all the details about your procedure, as well as all the information you need to prepare for the procedure. Please take the time to read the whole letter once you receive it as it will contain the information you will need to prepare for that day.
You should have had by this point, a Pre-Assessment appointment to assess your health and measure your eye for the new lens (for cataracts only).
If you have any queries before your procedure, please contact can us or the booking team using the numbers in the letter.
What will happen on the day of procedure?
When you arrive, you’ll report to our Reception so we can take your details. You’ll be asked to wait in our waiting room until the admission team calls you.
Please be advised that our unit has 3 procedures rooms, and they all have different timings, so you might see someone arrive after you and be called first that might not be scheduled for the same surgeon as you.
The admission team will then take you to the admission area closer to your procedure room, where you’ll be asked some questions about your general health. We might need to check your blood pressure and/or blood sugar if required. Once all checks have been completed, the nurse will prepare your eye for your procedure (cataract and glaucoma only). The operating doctor will then discuss the procedure that you are to have, and the risks involved. You will be given the opportunity to ask any questions and give your consent to proceed.
As your appointment time is not when you will have your procedure, you might have to wait for a while.
Who will be doing my procedure?
All the staff who carries out the procedures have been specially trained in ophthalmology. While most are Consultants, we do have Specialist Doctors who are specialised in doing ophthalmology procedures. The training of all the doctors is carried out according to national standards, and no-one is allowed to do a procedure unsupervised unless they have completed an approved comprehensive training programme.
How long will my procedure take?
While the procedures are short (up to 30mins for cataract and up to 1hr for some glaucoma procedures) we always advise that you may be with us for up to four hours. In most cases this will be a lot shorter.
How will I be after the procedure?
Once you have recovered sufficiently you will be allowed to go home. In most cases, you will only need to stay with us for 20 to 30 mins after your procedure. We will offer refreshments, biscuits and have a conversation about your after care at home and any future follow-up appointments. If you have any special dietary requirements, please bring your own snack as the current choice is limited.
A copy of the operation report will be sent to your GP and if you recently changed practices, please let the discharge team know.
In most cases, you won’t be allowed to drive yourself home as your vision will be compromised so you’ll be asked to make transport arrangements before the day of procedure.
What types of procedures do we do?
In our unit we carry out small procedures to remove lesions around head (face, ears, upper neck, scalp) and occasionally, reconstruct the tissue if lesion was of larger dimensions. The removed tissues (specimens) will be sent to Histology at Winchester Hospital to determine the type of cells found (benign or malignant). The results will be sent to GP or other clinician that referred you to us and they will contact you for share results.
How will I know I am coming into hospital for my procedure?
After your Dermatology appointment, your details will be sent to ENT booking team who will contact you. In most cases, you’ll will receive a letter from us with all the details about your procedure, as well as all the information you need to prepare for the procedure. If your procedure is urgent, the booking team might email, ring and/or text you the information. Please take the time to read the whole letter once you receive it as it will contain the information you will need to prepare for that day.
As your procedure does not require Pre-Assessment, if you have any queries before your procedure, contact can us or the booking team.
Who will be doing my procedure?
All the staff who carry out the procedures have been specially trained in Ear, Nose and Throat. While most are Consultants, we do have Specialist Doctors who are specialised in doing ENT procedures. The training of all the doctors is carried out according to national standards, and no-one is allowed to do a procedure unsupervised unless they have completed an approved comprehensive training programme.
How long will my procedure take?
While the procedures are short (30 mins for a small lesion excision and up to 1h30 if tissue reconstruction is necessary) we always advise that you may be with us for up to 3 hours. In most cases this will be a lot shorter.
How will I be after the procedure?
Once you have recovered sufficiently you will be allowed to go home. In most cases, we will only need to stay with us for 20 to 30 mins after your procedure. We will offer cold refreshments, biscuits and have a conversation about your after care at home and any future follow-up appointments. If you have any special dietary requirements, please bring your own snack as the current choice is limited.
Our opening times are 8AM to 6 PM, Monday to Friday, excluding weekends and bank holidays.
Day Surgery Unit Reception/Urgent queries: 01264 835388
If you have a non-urgent query about your procedure with us and would like advice from a nurse, please contact us via email at the following address, AndoverDaySurgery@hhft.nhs.uk and we will reply within 1-2 working days. Please note that this mailbox is managed during working hours only.
Endoscopy Booking team: 01264 835333.
ENT or Ophthalmology Booking (Admissions team): 01962 824143
• Option 2 – Admissions
• Select Option 1 for ENT
• Select Option 2 for Ophthalmology
If you have had a procedure with us and you are experiencing worrying symptoms, contact the emergency numbers in your discharge letter or go to your nearest emergency department as our doctors are not based at Andover Hospital.
If you had a procedure with us and biopsy was taken and you have not been informed of the result, be advised that we do not have your results and you need to contact your referrer.
