PATIENTS in Somerset can now swallow miniature cameras to check for cancer.

These cameras, which are capsules no bigger than a pill, are being trialled at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust.

Known as a colon capsule endoscopy, they can provide a diagnosis within a matter of hours.

Traditional colonoscopy involves a hospital attendance for an outpatient procedure, where a hospital specialist inserts a telescope into the large intestine (colon).

The new technology means that, after swallowing the capsule, people can go about their normal day with minimal inconvenience.

Dr Daniel Pearl, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s consultant gastroenterologist, capsule endoscopy lead and bowel cancer screening director, said: “This is a really exciting opportunity to shift towards more patient friendly and less intrusive examinations of the colon for patients being investigated for bowel cancer.

"We are delighted to have been selected as one of the three sites in the south west to develop this service and run the regional arm of the national colon capsule endoscopy pilot.”

The technology is being rolled out across the NHS in England, with an initial group of 11,000 NHS patients in more than 40 parts of the country set to receive the capsule cameras.

The procedure normally takes five to eight hours and provides images of the bowel with information set to a data recorder in a shoulder bag.

This means patients can continue with their day as normal.

Capsule cameras will identify patients who can be discharged back to their GP and ones who will need further investigations.