A new state-of-the-art decontamination unit has opened at Colchester General Hospital to disinfect medical equipment.

The £1.2m centre has been built behind the Elmstead Day Unit and it houses five machines to wash the kit used to carry out endoscopes, a procedure used to look inside the body.

The new machines are both quicker and more efficient than the models they have replaced, which are more than a decade old.

The unit also includes full electronic tracking and traceability so staff can see exactly which piece of equipment has been used for each procedure.

The hospital’s facilities for cleaning endoscopes were previously spread between the Elmstead Day Unit and the main theatres.

Sally Smith, matron for endoscopy, said: “We are delighted with this new decontamination unit, which will help us continue to meet growing demand for endoscopies while ensuring we maintain the highest standards of patient safety.

“Endoscopies are vitally important, and are used to diagnose a huge variety of different conditions, including cancer and digestive problems. It is essential that the equipment is cleaned and disinfected to the highest possible standards.”