(Presentation given at 2014 League of Friends Annual General Meeting)
The Gynae Assessment Program (GAP) at Leatherhead: a unique concept in health screening for women.
Mr Katesmark is the Consultant Gynaecologist who is in charge of the Colposcopy/Hysteroscopy department at Leatherhead.
Gynae cancer screening at Leatherhead is unique (not only in this part of Surrey, but in the country), on one site the service screens for vulval cancer, cervical cancer, endometrial cancer, as well as ovarian cysts. The service operates 5 days a week, from 9-5 with specialist nursing staff offering an NSCCP accredited consultant led service. It also currently offers Local Anaesthetic Biopsy, and a ’see & treat’ service for cervical pre-malignant changes.
Most of the services provided have been made possible by the generous financial assistance of the League of Friends, who not only provided equipment, but also totally refurbished the accommodation. In addition to several hysteroscopes (together with specialist sterilisation equipment), and advanced high definition display and recording equipment, the League of Friends also supplied a high definition ultrasound system which enabled an expanded GAP service from September 2012. This is a gold standard RCOG accredited consultant led service, adjacent to the hysteroscopy service.
The advantage of the GAP service at Leatherhead are that all aspects of suspected gynae cancer can be screened in one place, giving a fast track diagnosis.
In the future Mike would like to add to the service – outpatient treatment of small endometrial polyps, and outpatient hysteroscope sterilisation.