A NEW clinic has opened at Basingstoke hospital to speed up a medical procedure for women.

The outpatient service means that women can undergo a diagnostic hysteroscopy - a procedure to examine the inside of the womb - in 45 minutes, rather than patients staying for the whole day, or even overnight.

It was made possible thanks to the North Hampshire Medical Fund, which donated five hysteroscopes worth £38,310.

The charity raises funds for advanced medical equipment at Basingstoke hospital.

A hysteroscope is a narrow tube with a telescope at the end. Images are sent to a computer to get a close-up look at the womb.

Benefits of the new equipment include the removing the need to have a general anaesthetic, reducing the risk of blood clots and patients being able to drive shortly afterwards.

The clinic opened on October 9.

Valarie Parker, the first patient to use the new service, said: “Everyone was lovely and kind and it was great to be able have a cup of tea and then drive myself home afterwards, all within a couple hours of arriving at the hospital.”