The Gastroenterology (GI) Unit consists of a dedicated team of nursing, clerical and portering staff who are committed to providing quality care within a friendly, relaxed, safe and supportive environment.

The majority of endoscopies are booked as outpatient procedures, however ward patients requiring endoscopy are offered appointments in addition to booked lists. Hospitalised patients requiring emergency endoscopy are cared for by an on-call endoscopy team who cover out-of-hours during the week and weekends, providing and delivering a service 365 days a year.

Endoscopic procedures performed in the unit:

• Gastroscopy
• Flexible sigmoidscopy
• Colonoscopy
• Enteroscopy
• Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio Pancreatography
• Endoscopic Ultrasound
• Bronchoscopy
• Endo-Bronchial Ultrasound
• Thoracoscopy
• Wireless Capsule Endoscopy

Each patient attending the unit is treated as an individual and all GI Unit staff have the highest regard for maintaining patient privacy and dignity at all times.

The GI Unit staff continually strive to ensure that the patient journery is smooth, organised and efficient and, during this process, Essence of Care plays a lead role in the planning, delivery and after-care of all patients attending the unit.

The team works closely with staff and other departments throughout the hospital, in particular specialist nurses such as Colorectal, Upper GI, Nutrition, Inflammatory Bowel and the Dietician team. This allows continuity of care for all patients and their carers requiring specialist advice and support when required.

If English is not your first language, please contact the department before you visit so we can organise for a translator to be present at your appointment.

We aim to empower people to gain freedom from their symptoms and improve the quality of their lives.

We believe EVERYONE should have the opportunity to receive advice, treatment and rehabilitation to improve their bladder and bowel symptoms, and their quality of life.

These health problems can seriously, and negatively impact on the physical, psychological and social wellbeing of affected individuals.

The Dudley Adult Bladder & Bowel Service will look at referrals for people aged 18+ who wish to receive specialist support and advice with bladder and bowel problems.

Information about the service

We are a specialist stroke pathway in Dudley Rehabilitation Service (DRS), providing rehabilitation for patients who have had a stroke. The team consists of occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, dietitians, therapy assistants and administrative support. We treat patients in their place of residence and at Corbett Rehab Centre in Corbett Ambulatory Care Centre.  We work towards patient centred goals and liaise closely with all other members of the multi disciplinary team, including social services and the voluntary sector to assist with rehabilitation needs.

The referrals to the service can be made by  GP, hospital staff, nursing homes, other healthcare professionals, the Dudley Stroke Association, and social services.

Patients who have previously received therapy from our service can contact us directly.

We are the specialist Community Rehab and Falls pathway in DRS.

The team is made up of  occupational therapists, physiotherapists, therapy assistants and falls nurses.

We provide comprehensive assessments including multifactorial falls risk assessments and treatment. We aim to enable individuals to maximise their mobility, range of movement, and activities of daily living to promote independence and quality of life. Individual rehabilitation goals are set as part of the assessment and reviewed as necessary.

Patients are seen in their place of residence or in Corbett Rehab Centre in Corbett Ambulatory Care Centre.

Patients are seen individually and in groups sessions as necessary.

Referrals are accepted from consultants, GPs, Dudley Falls Prevention (Standing Together) and other healthcare professionals.

Working hours

The team works  Monday to Friday, 08.30am until 4.30pm, excluding bank holidays. We are not an emergency service. Outside of these hours, or in an emergency, please contact your GP, NHS 111 or visit your local walk-in centre or urgent care centre.

We are the Specialist Neuro Pathway in DRS.

We treat patients with long term neurological conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson’s disease.

The team includes:

• Parkinson’s specialist nurse
• Multiple Sclerosis specialist nurse
• specialist physiotherapists
• specialist occupational therapists
• speech and language therapist
• dietitian
• specialist pharmacist
• therapy assistants

We provide:

• assessment
• advice, information and education regarding the conditions
• medication review and advice
• rehabilitation
• self-management programmes
• emotional and psychological support
• sign posting and referral to other professionals and services

We see people aged over 18 years with long term neurological conditions.

You will be offered an appointment in an outpatient clinic or at home depending on the needs assessed by the clinician.

The Dudley Rehabilitation Service consists of three services:

Community Neuro Pathway

Community Rehab Pathway

Community Stroke Rehabilitation

All services are based at:

Contact us

We hope that you will find the website a useful and informative resource that covers all the key issues that you want to find out more about.

As the website has been developed for people suffering with the condition, their carers and professionals, all of which are very likely to have different needs and expectations of this type of resource, we are very interested to receive any of your thoughts, comments and suggestions about how we might improve the website in the future.

You can send your comments by e-mail to: drs@nhs.net or by telephone on 01384 321600 option 2

The Community Diabetes Specialist Team are a multi-professional diabetes team consisting of:

• Diabetes Specialist Nurses, for both children and adults
• Community Podiatrists
• Specialist Dietician

They offer specialist advice and support for people with diabetes in Dudley, this includes specialist clinics in GP practices, health centres, care homes, own homes and in Russells Hall Outpatient departments. A portfolio of group structured patient education initiatives are available for people newly diagnosed with diabetes, those taking insulin treatment and those with type 1 diabetes who wish to match their insulin dosage with their carbohydrates Our help is available to you via your GP or other Health Care Professional.

This might be your first appointment, or you might be a frequent attender. Either way, we know visiting hospital can be a stressful experience and we want to do our best to make you feel at ease and help you understand what may happen during your appointment.

The department takes a multi-disciplinary approach to patient care with a team of staff including doctors, nurses, clinical nurse specialists, respiratory and cardiology technicians, administration staff and many more, contributing to a holistic approach to health.

What to bring with you?

Please bring with you your appointment letter and any medication that you are currently taking or using. If you are unable to bring all your medication please bring a copy of your repeat prescription so the clinicians treating you can make sure you receive the most appropriate care.

Booking in at reception

On arrival to the department you will need to check in at reception. If you have your appointment letter with you, you can hand it in at the reception desk. You will be asked to confirm your GP and personal details including next of kin, address and telephone number.

Your appointment

The consultant caring for you has a team of doctors and other health care professionals working alongside them and therefore you may not see the consultant named in your letter. Some appointments are brief; however, others can include tests and investigations. Please allow up to three hours for your appointment.

Questions you may wish to ask at your appointment

We want you to become involved in your healthcare and play an active part in decision making. We will always make time to listen, so please speak up if you have any queries or concerns. It is a good idea to write a list of any questions you need to ask the doctor or nurse so you can bring it with you to your appointment. The member of staff caring for you will be happy to answer any questions you have about your treatment.

Examples of some questions you may wish to ask are:

• Are there any other ways to treat my condition?
• Are there any risks or side affects related to the treatment or medication?
• If my symptoms improve, should I cancel my next appointment?
• What should I do if my symptoms worsen?

The Radiology Department is located across four sites and has a modern, well-equipped, integrated imaging service. The department covers inpatient, outpatient, Emergency Department and GP referrals.

The service provides:

• General X-rays
• Ultrasound scans
• CT scanning
• MRI scanning
• Nuclear medicine imaging
• Fluoroscopy
• Interventional radiology
• Mammography
• Medical Photography

We do not provide radiotherapy.

Services

Russells Hall Hospital

All radiological examinations by appointment only.

• Plain film Xray
• Fluoroscopy
• Ultrasound
• CT
• MRI
• Nuclear medicine
• Interventional Radiology
• Breast Screening Services
• Medical Photography

Corbett Outpatient Centre
All radiological examinations by appointment only.

• Ultrasound
• DEXA bone densitometry
• MRI
• GP requested and Outpatient plain X-ray examinations

Guest Outpatient Centre
All radiological examinations by appointment only.

• Ultrasound
• CT
• MRI
• GP requested and outpatient plain X-ray examinations

Brierley Hill Health and Social Care Centre
All radiological examinations by appointment only.

• Ultrasound
• Medical Photography