A new £500,000 hospital unit has opened and is set to benefit thousands of Bradford patients, including those suffering one of the most prevalent forms of cancer.

The endoscopy unit at St Luke's Hospital will speed up diagnosis and treatment of upper gastro-intestinal problems and cases of suspected colon cancer.

Bradford Royal Infirmary already carries out 7,000 endoscopies each year, using a long, thin, flexible tube and eyepiece to see inside the body.

As well as generating extra capacity, the new unit will avoid in-patients at St Luke's having to be transferred across the city.

It will also be made available to specially trained GPs so they can examine patients with less complex conditions.

Dr Adrian Manning, head of gastroenterology services at Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust, said it was a major step forward.

"Endoscopes are playing an important role in taking medicine into a new era, as in many cases they save patients from having to have a more serious operation performed," he said.

"By increasing our capacity with the opening of this new unit, Bradford's hospitals are well placed to take further advantage of this technology as well as being better able to meet the needs of the local community as demand for this type of procedure continues to rise."

The unit has been paid for through a successful bid to the Government's Modernisation Fund.

Dr Barbara Hakin, chief executive of Bradford South and West Primary Care Trust, which has led the way in developing GP specialists, said: "This link-up between GPs and hospital consultants has enabled waiting times and waiting lists to be reduced in Bradford as minor procedures are carried out by family doctors and consultants in both surgeries and hospital.

"We are keen to build on this platform and look forward to GPs using these new, additional facilities for the benefit of their patients."

Most endoscopes are less than 1cm in diameter so they can be inserted into the body easily. Samples of tissue biopsies can also be taken for examination during the procedure. Nurses Mandy Scholefield, left, and Jean Brown are pictured with Councillor John Ryan, chairman of Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust, at the new unit.