The Mile End Early Diagnosis Centre (EDC) has welcomed its first patient from our Trust, with Dagenham resident Ann Baker taking advantage of the additional services on offer to local people.

The new innovative EDC is a joint-initiative between ourselves, Barts Health and Homerton University Hospital and focuses on improving early diagnosis by inviting those living with conditions that increase their risk of cancer to attend regular screenings.

84-year-old Ann visited the EDC on Thursday 29 April for a colonoscopy and speaking about her experience, she said: “The facilities were great and it felt very luxurious. It was spotlessly clean, felt very relaxed and I even had my own room. The staff were also brilliant. They fell over backwards just to make sure I was OK.

“I usually have the procedure at Queen’s Hospital but I was offered the chance to have it done at the EDC and would only have to wait one week, which I was really happy about.”

Located at Mile End Hospital, the EDC is one of the first of its kind in the country. Offering patients more choice over when and where they receive treatment, the EDC is expected to carry out about 16,500 procedures over the next year. It is staffed by specialist cancer clinicians and offers a number of services including endoscopies, ultrasounds and CT scans, with MRIs planned for 2022.

Recognising the times we currently live in and in order to keep patients safe during the pandemic, the EDC has a number of Covid-19 protocols, which include testing patients before their appointment and temperature checks on arrival.

Speaking about the measures in place, Ann said: “Although I’ve been vaccinated, I felt very safe at the EDC because of the different checks. I also had a Covid-19 test 72 hours before my appointment to make sure I didn’t have the infection.

“The biggest compliment I can give the Mile End EDC is if I had to have a colonoscopy again, I’d like to go back and I would also recommend it to my loved ones.”

For more information and videos, visit the North East London Health and Care Partnership website.