Endoscopy Service

For Patients and Visitors

What is the Service?

We provide endoscopy procedures or ‘scopes’ for patients who have problems of the oesophagus/food pipe, stomach, small and large intestine and some other abdominal organs.

Endoscopy involves passing a thin flexible tube with a camera into the gut and is usually performed after you have been given a light anaesthetic.

Your endoscopy procedure will be done by a gastroenterologist, surgeon or specially trained nurse. You will also be looked after by our team of nurses, booking and clerical staff.

What can I expect from the service?

You will be given an appointment for an outpatient clinic where you will see a specialist doctor or endoscopy nurse. After this visit you may need to have an endoscopy procedure arranged for a later date. Endoscopy procedures are performed at Broadmeadows Hospital and at the Northern Hospital. Some of the procedures we can offer you are listed below, the one that you are booked for will depend on what your problem is.

Gastroscopy for stomach problems

Colonoscopy for large bowel problems

Capsule Endoscopy or Pill Cam for small bowel problems

Double Balloon Enteroscopy for problems further down the small bowel

Endoscopic Ultrasound for problems of the deeper lining of the gut or organs close to the gut

ERCP a procedure for treating the bile duct and the pancreas

 

What do I bring/need for my appointment?

Medicare card

An accurate list of current medications

Compact Disc images or film X-rays your GP has done to manage your problem

The results of any tests your GP has done to manage your problem

The results of any scopes you have had before

Contact us

The Gastroenterology Endoscopy Clinic is at Broadmeadows Hospital on Wednesday morning.

You may also get an appointment to see a gastroenterology or surgical outpatient clinic at Broadmeadows Hospital or the Northern Hospital Epping.

Phone:      8405 8335 (Referral Enquiries)

Email:       SpecialistClinics@nh.org.au

 For enquiries regarding an endoscopy procedure/scope that has already been booked by your specialist after your outpatient clinic appointment please contact endoscopy bookings on (03) 84058550


For Health Professionals

Service Overview

Northern Health offers endoscopy services at the Northern Hospital Epping and Broadmeadows Hospital.

Our endoscopists include gastroenterologists, surgeons and a nurse endoscopists. Several specialists have additional training and experience in advanced endoscopy techniques. Our endoscopists work with a team of dedicated endoscopy nurses, endoscopy booking nurses and clerical staff to provide a high quality and patient centred service.

Northern Health do not offer an open access endoscopy service, however we do offer rapid access colonoscopy for patients with a Positive Faecal Occult Blood Test (+FOBT) after review via the nurse endoscopist telephone clinic.

Northern Health have adopted the National Colonoscopy Categorisation guidelines 2017, click here along with the Upper Intestinal Endoscopy categorisation guidelines for adults 2018. These guidelines help to determine suitability and triage categories for Gastroscopy and Colonoscopy. Click here. Once patients have been seen in clinic or telephone clinic, all requests for gastroscopy or colonoscopy will be triaged into the appropriate category by our Endoscopy liaison nurses, according to these guidelines.

Some patients may be referred back to their GP after colonoscopy and polypectomy, for polyp surveillance management. These patients will be sent back with their Endoscopy report and histology results. Please refer to the 2019 NHMRC polyp surveillance guidelines, an interactive version of which is available at the website polyp.guide .

Endoscopy services we offer:

Gastroscopy

Colonoscopy

Capsule Endoscopy

Double Balloon Enteroscopy

Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS)

ERCP

Percutaneous Gastrostomy (PEG)

Endoscopic Mucosal resection of colonic polyps

Endoscopic Mucosal resection in the upper gastrointestinal tract

Oesophageal, duodenal and colonic stenting

Referral must include:

Description of presenting complaint

Full medical history

Current medications

Relevant investigations such as FOBT result, FBE, UEC, LFT, Imaging etc

Previous endoscopy and the results


Director/Head of Unit:  

Dr Joshua Butt

B.Med (Hons), FRACP

Director Endoscopy Services Northern Health

Enquiries:
For appointment enquiries

Phone:           8405 8335

Email:             SpecialistClinics@nh.org.au