Endoscopy teams at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust have been recognised for their immense effort and teamwork, as they have achieved official JAG accreditation.

This prestigious accreditation verifies that North Tyneside General Hospital and Wansbeck General Hospital are meeting rigorous, high-quality standards for endoscopy services, which are used across the UK and Republic of Ireland.

The JAG programme, run by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is dedicated to improving the quality of care in endoscopy services.

The accreditation process assesses standards in four areas: clinical quality, patient experience, workforce, and training.

In the final report, special mention was given to the excellence of the multi-disciplinary team at Northumbria Healthcare.

They were recognised for their clear focus on both staff and patients, as well as their commitment to delivering a sustainable endoscopy service.

Under the patient experience domain, the service at Northumbria Healthcare was praised for providing numerous opportunities for patients to provide feedback.

The use of patient stories to enhance the service was recognised as an example of best practice.

The service's ambition to involve patients was also praised, particularly for the development of videos that demonstrate the entire patient journey, showcasing high-level patient engagement.

The training environment at Northumbria Healthcare was commended, with the organisation showing commitment through a dedicated lead.

The staff wellbeing strategy was highlighted as one of the best examples seen by the assessor, demonstrating a happy and engaged workforce.

This recognition was reflected through patient feedback as well, with patients praising all staff members, from receptionists to nurses, for delivering the best possible care.

Dr Tom Lee, Consultant Gastroenterologist at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said: “As a team we feel honoured to have been awarded this accreditation which measures our work against a range of key standards. As a diagnostic service, people come to us for all sorts of reasons and often feeling a mix of emotions - we want them to feel reassured from the moment they enter our clinics. The premise of the JAG accreditation is based around delivering high quality and safe patient care, and that encompasses exactly what we do as a team.”

Marion Dickson, Executive Director for Nursing, Midwifery and AHPs said: “Our endoscopy teams work incredibly hard every single day to deliver services to the communities of North Tyneside and Northumberland. The recognition that the team works to the ‘Team Northumbria – building a caring future’ ethos really reflects that hard work and commitment."