About Us
About Us
This site was developed to aid and guide patients who require an endoscopic procedure. It is designed for use by all patients undergoing either a colonoscopy; a flexible sigmoidoscopy or a gastroscopy; providing them with an explanation and to minimise any concerns they may have.
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The Development Team was led by Consultant Gastroenterologist Dr Ajay M Verma, along with Dr Solange Serna (Trainee).
Dr Ajay M Verma
MD FRCP (London) MRCP (Gastroenterology) FEBGH
Honorary Senior Lecturer in the Leicester Cancer Research Centre
Consultant Gastroenterologist & Physician, Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Ajay is a dynamic, pragmatic Consultant Gastroenterologist with a constant focus of improving patient care using an innovative approach. His undergraduate training took place in Leicester, having qualified in 2003, he has worked in, Sydney and Liverpool, before returning to Leicester for specialty training. He completed a MD on circulating blood microRNA markers in patients with colorectal adenomas, as well as an endoscopy fellowship in advanced ERCP and colonoscopy techniques.
Ajay was appointed as a Consultant in 2015 at Kettering General Hospital (KGH). He has interests in inflammatory bowel disease, early colorectal cancer, endoscopy quality, and clinical Gastrointestinal research. He is the Endoscopy training lead, Gastrointestinal research lead, and Chief Clinical Information Officer (CCIO). He has successfully reconfigured Gastrointestinal inpatient services at KGH with a marked improvement in patient care. At a national level, Ajay is the deputy chair of the New Consultants Committee for the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) London, he also sits on other committees, including RCP council.
In 2017, Ajay was tasked with reviewing KGH’s endoscopy information leaflets, and consent forms. During this review, and taking legal advice to improve the consent process, he came up with the concept of myEndoscopy.co.uk. Working closely with Dr Serna, the site has been produced and was launched in February 2019.
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Dr Solange Serna
BMedSci BMBS
A progressive, passionate and dedicated young doctor, committed to transforming the patient-doctor relationship. Solange graduated from the University of Nottingham Medical School in 2014, having gained a first class honours in the BMedSci degree. She was also awarded the Bart Prize for outstanding achievement in the third year of the medical course.
During a placement with the renowned Orthopaedic Surgeon, Professor Wallace, Solange developed a very keen interest in Orthopaedics, which lead to her undertaking groundbreaking research as part of her dissertation on Subacromial Impingement of the Shoulder joint.
This was subsequently accepted as a poster presentation at the12th International Congress of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery 2014 in Japan. Solange’s enthusiasm and interest in understanding medicine from a patient’s perspective was recognised by a leading mechanics laboratory in the United States and lead to an invitation to join the team in their work developing the next generation of implants. Solange combined this with a placement at Duke University Medical Centre.
As Solange’s medical training progressed, she maintained an open outlook in respect of developing a speciality, always anchored to interest in the patient-doctor interface and the critical art of communication. The complexities presented by medical patients during a rotation in Gastroenterology, affirmed Solange’s view that this specialism would provide the key components upon which she could build her future medical career.
In 2016 Solange started Core Medical Training (CMT) relishing the opportunity to develop her knowledge and skills within the field of Gastroenterology. Solange is now splitting her time working as a Trust Grade Registrar in Gastroenterology and Deputy Chief Clinical Information Officer at Kettering General Hospital.
This, combined with the challenge to continuously improve quality and the overall patient experience, lead Solange to work closely with Dr Verma in the development of myEndoscopy.co.uk.
Kettering General Hospital's Endoscopy Unit provides excellence in care to all patients beyond target driven outcomes.
Our patients come to us from across the region and every aspect of their care is considered with them in mind. We provide a complete diagnostic and treatment service, with a dedicated team of Endoscopists and Specialist Nursing Staff. We are also home to the Northamptonshire Bowel Cancer Screening Centre, which provides endoscopy procedures as part of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Programme.
