Many nurses now undertake diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy. The NMC  document  ‘The code, Standards of conduct, performance and ethics, 2008’ supports nurses developing their professional practice, as long as the “nurse concerned is competent for the purpose, and mindful of the personal professional accountability they bear for their actions”. In addition, other professionals (e.g. radiographers) and non-medical practitioners are now being trained in endoscopy.

Regardless of professional background, all non-medical endoscopists should have been trained to the standards expected of a medical endoscopist and their training requirements should be addressed in a similar manner to those of nurses.

General recommendations

• It is the responsibility of nurses and other non-medical endoscopists to ensure they are fit to practise and of doctors (the responsible consultant) to ensure that any devolved responsibility for endoscopy is passed to a person fit to practise such a procedure.
   
• A situation such as endoscopy involves the use of special skill and each practitioner will be judged against the standard of an ‘ordinary skilled practitioner’, professing to have that special skill.