A new one-stop clinic at Walsall Manor Hospital means patients who find blood in their urine now avoid multiple appointments.
The haematuria one-stop clinic at the Manor Hospital enables patients to be seen in one session thanks to streamlining between Urology and Ultrasound teams.
Finding blood in your urine can be a sign of cancer and the new clinics, which take place every Friday morning, are speeding up the process of diagnosis.
Professional Lead for Ultrasound and Deputy Professional Lead for Imaging Hayley Whitehouse said: “The patient will come to hospital and see a consultant, but rather than being sent away for weeks to wait for a scan, they simply go across the corridor where the urology clinics are held in one of the ultrasound rooms.
“If the consultant finds anything suspicious in the ultrasound, the patient undergoes can be examined by a scope on the same day.
“The consultant can also take any biopsies that might be necessary. So they are having two tests in one, if this is what the patient requires.
“Two consultant urologists, Mr Alexandros Georgiou and Mr Irfan Khan, approached us about this clinic, so it was brilliant for them to ask us to join them in this collaborative work.”
Reaction from patients has been extremely positive since the idea was introduced recently.
“This saves patients from waiting, and the feedback we’ve had from patients is that it’s working really well,” added Hayley.
“They’re very happy with this new arrangement as they are being seen quicker and in one appointment.”
Patient Faye Brown (pictured centre) was one of the first patients to use the clinic. She had to wait just five days after being referred by her GP for an ultrasound scan after suffering pain in her left side and having had blood in her urine.
The 63-year-old retired cleaning supervisor from Bloxwich was delighted with the new service.
Faye, a mother of three and grandmother of five, said: “I came in early and was seen on time and everyone was so nice, pleasant and lovely – I couldn’t fault it.
“It was perfect – A1. It’s an excellent service and I couldn’t have asked for any more. The staff were so friendly and attentive.”
Faye has now been booked in for an appointment at Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley on 6 June for suspected kidney stones.