The dedicated staff at Princess Alexandra Hospital’s Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology are strengthening collaboration and community connections to help bring care closer to home for rural patients.
The new endoscopy service for Cooktown Multipurpose Health Service is being delivered in partnership with Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service, Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service, and Metro South Health.
Previously, Cooktown patients would have to travel to Cairns for a colonoscopy which would often require hotel accommodation and three days’ commitment for a relatively short procedure.
PA Hospital Director of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Professor Gerald Holtmann said addressing the gap in gastrointestinal health outcomes between metropolitan and remote regions was the foundation of the partnership.
“Too many rural patients present with late-stage colorectal cancer that could have been prevented,” Prof. Holtmann said.
“By bringing care closer to home in rural and remote centres such as Cooktown, we can improve access to life-saving colonoscopies that can lead to earlier diagnosis.”
Significantly, GP Endoscopist Dr Shane Sadleir – who is delivering the new service – was raised in Cooktown and has returned to help provide medical services to his home community.
He is assisted by GP Anaesthetist Dr Dan Hook, who was also raised in Cooktown and returned to work at the local hospital.
PA Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Prevention Manager, Nicole Marinucci said three endoscopy cases have already been completed since the service launched in November 2025.
“We’re proud to be advancing a scalable model to expand equitable colonoscopy access across rural and remote hospitals via the Rural Adaptive Networked Colonoscopy Service (RANCS) Model of Care,” she said.
“The RANCS Model of Care is based on a PhD research project that has identified strategies to enhance colorectal cancer screening across rural communities.
“The Model of Care leverages tertiary hospital expertise and leadership, including clinical protocols and training for medical and non-medical staff to enable the delivery of life-saving endoscopy services in remote hospital settings.”
Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service Director of Medical Services Eastern Dr Natasha Coventry said the start of endoscopy services at Cooktown was a win for the local region.
“This is an incredibly exciting milestone, and we’re proud to celebrate the impact it will have for rural patients,” she said.
“The big advantage of offering colonoscopies locally is that patients can now complete their bowel preparation at home, and then to come into hospital for a couple of hours and return home the same day.”
Dr Coventry said the new endoscopy service was a powerful example of collaboration between a rural health service and two larger health services, combining their efforts to deliver specialised treatment services that would have been challenging to deliver by one health service alone.
“I’d like to acknowledge and thank Metro South Health for designing and leading the implementation of this new model of care, and for the oversight and governance provided by Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service,’’ she said.
“Their ongoing support has made this service a reality.’’
Article re-purposed with thanks to Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service. Read the original story on their website.