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
