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Before Your Procedure

Initial Referral

All endoscopy procedures are requested by a healthcare professional. Depending on the type of procedure, you may be referred for an endoscopy test straight after seeing your GP, but other times you may need to speak to a specialist nurse or doctor to decide on the best endoscopy test to have.

If you have had a positive Bowel Screening Wales stool test, and have been advised to have a colonoscopy, Bowel Screening Wales will send you a letter asking you to contact them directly to book a telephone appointment with a Screening Practitioner.

The endoscopy bookings team will add you to the appropriate waiting list. The waiting list you are added to depends on the procedure you are having, and the reason for the procedure.

Booking Process

When the bookings team are ready to offer you an appointment, you will be sent a letter asking you to contact them and book an appointment.

When you call, the bookings clerk may ask you some questions about specific medication, such as blood-thinners (anticoagulants) and iron tablets, as well as specific medical conditions, such as diabetes. As some medications need to be paused for your endoscopy procedure, the bookings clerk may put you through to speak to a healthcare professional in the endoscopy unit to give you tailored advice. Do not stop taking your medication unless told to by a healthcare professional.

You will usually be offered an appointment at the nearest hospital that offers the procedure you need, however you may sometimes be offered an appointment at a further hospital if the wait time is significantly shorter.

Your appointment may be booked with an endoscopist of any gender to minimise delays. If you have a specific preference or need, please mention this when booking your appointment.

If you require hospital transport, please mention this when booking your appointment.

Pre-Assessment

For some procedures, you may be asked to undergo a telephone assessment with a specialist nurse before your procedure can be booked. If this is required, you will automatically be booked for a telephone appointment first before being given an appointment for the procedure itself.

All Bowel Screening Wales procedures require a telephone pre-assessment appointment.

Pre-Procedure Information

Once you have an appointment, you will receive a pack of information along with your appointment letter. This will typically include:

  • Your appointment letter.
  • An information leaflet about your procedure.
  • A yellow consent form (often attached to the information leaflet).
  • Information about what to do with food in the days before the procedure.
  • Bowel preparation instructions (for colonoscopy / flexible-sigmoidoscopy).

We advise you to read through this information as soon as possible after receiving it, as there may be instructions to follow up to a week before your procedure. If you feel anything is missing, or you have any questions, please contact the bookings team.

Bowel Preparation

For some procedures, such as a colonoscopy or flexible-sigmoidoscopy, the bowel needs to be cleared so that the endoscopist gets a high quality view of your bowel.

For flexible-sigmoidoscopies, you will typically receive some laxative tablets (Bisacodyl), and an enema. For colonoscopies, you will usually be sent some sachets of powder that need to be mixed with water. These laxatives will make you have your bowels open quite a lot, so stay near a toilet when you are taking them. 

Lots of different laxatives and preparation regimes are used for endoscopy procedures. Your pre-procedure information will be tailored individually for your procedure and should include all of the information you need to take your bowel preparation correctly. Read all the instructions carefully before you start taking your bowel preparation. If you are not sure, or have any questions, please contact the telephone number on your appointment letter so that our staff can help you.

Sedation

For some procedures, you may be offered the option of having sedative medication. Because the medications used for this can be powerful, you will not be able to drive, operate machinery, or be left on your own for 24 hours after your procedure. If you are planning to have sedation, please ensure that you have a responsible adult to accompany you on the day, and stay with you after the procedure.

Rearranging Your Appointment

If you need to cancel or rearrange your appointment, please let us know as soon as possible by contacting the bookings team. This gives us the best possible chance of being able to offer your appointment to somebody else.

We understand that circumstances can change quickly, and with little notice. Even if you need to cancel your procedure at very short notice, we always ask that you to contact us first rather than just not attending.

What Next?

Click here to read about what to expect on the day of your procedure.