A ‘topping out' ceremony for the facility, which will feature six procedure rooms as well as 20 pods for patients before and after their procedures, took place on 27 February.

University Hospitals of Leicester deputy chief executive, Simon Barton, said: ‘It is great to be able to celebrate this milestone in the project and we are excited to be building an important new facility for the endoscopy service here at the Leicester General Hospital. 

‘Endoscopy is a key part of our diagnostic services and this new unit is part of our commitment to providing state-of-the-art healthcare for the people of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. 

‘This is part of our wider strategy to improve care and reduce waiting times. Endoscopy at East Midlands is right next door to the East Midlands Planned Care Centre, which opened in December and will eventually provide around 100,000 appointments every year. 

‘It is great to have these celebratory moments as a team, as everyone is working hard on behalf of our patients. I would like to thank everyone involved.'

The new standalone, two-storey unit will provide around 17,000 endoscopy appointments every year.