Endoscopy 2021; 53(S 01): S139-S140
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1724628
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The UK Colonoscopy Workforce: Analysis Using The National Endoscopy Database (NED)

D Beaton
1   North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, Gastroeneterology, Stockton on Tees, United Kingdom
,
P Rogers
2   Weblogik Limited, Ipswich, United Kingdom
,
L Sharp
3   Newcastle University, Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom
,
R Broughton
4   Royal College of Physicians, London, United Kingdom
,
M Rutter
1   North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, Gastroeneterology, Stockton on Tees, United Kingdom
3   Newcastle University, Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom
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    Aims The British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) recommends colonoscopists perform at least 100 procedures annually to maintain competence. The National Endoscopy Database (NED) is a central database which uploads endoscopy procedural data in real time; over 80 % of UK endoscopy sites now upload to NED.

    This study aimed to analyse the UK colonoscopy workforce, identifying the proportion of colonoscopists performing fewer than 100 colonoscopies annually and their contribution to overall colonoscopy activity.

    Methods All colonoscopies uploaded to NED from 1st March 2019 to 29th Feb 2020 were analysed. Endoscopy sites not uploading throughout the entire year were excluded. As recommended annual procedure numbers do not apply to trainee colonoscopists, colonoscopies performed by trainees were excluded. The independent sector (IS) in the UK is often staffed by doctors who primarily work within the NHS. Colonoscopists solely uploading from IS sites were excluded as they could also have performed colonoscopies at NHS sites not included in analysis.

    Results 181 NHS sites were included in the analysis, uploading 440,776 colonoscopies to NED. Our analysis revealed that Nurse Endoscopists (NEs) comprise 10.9 % of the workforce, performing 16.6 % of colonoscopies.

    Table 1

    Colonoscopy Workforce. Annual Colonoscopies for each Endoscopist includes those performed in both NHS & IS sites

    Endoscopists

    Total Procedures (NHS Sites)

    Median Endoscopist Annual Procedures (IQR)

    Endoscopists Performing <100 Colonoscopies Annually

    Doctor

    2640 (89.1 %)

    367774 (83.4 %)

    110 (32-224)

    1236 (46.8 %)

    Nurse Endoscopist (NE)

    324 (10.9 %)

    73002 (16.6 %)

    180 (20-356)

    123 (38 %)

    Total

    2964 (100 %)

    440776 (100 %)

    115 (31-234)

    1359 (45.9 %)

    675 (22.8 %) colonoscopists worked at both NHS and IS sites. Including uploads from IS sites altered the total colonoscopists performing fewer than 100 colonoscopies annually from 1518 (51.2 %) to 1359 (45.9 %).

    The 1518 (45.9 %) colonoscopists who performed fewer than 100 colonoscopies annually performed 47,790 colonoscopies from NHS sites.

    Conclusions 45.9 % of colonoscopists perform fewer than 100 colonoscopies annually. However, they perform only 10.8 % of total colonoscopies. A small increase in the number of colonoscopy sessions allocated to these colonoscopists would greatly increase colonoscopy capacity in the UK.

    Citation Beaton D, Rogers P, Sharp L et al. eP131 THE UK COLONOSCOPY WORKFORCE: ANALYSIS USING THE NATIONAL ENDOSCOPY DATABASE (NED). Endoscopy 2021; 53: S139.


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    Publication History

    Article published online:
    19 March 2021

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