Gastroenterology

Team

Team

The Gastroenterology Department is a large team working at both City Hospital and Sandwell Hospital, including ten consultant gastroenterologists, five clinical nurse specialists, three nurse endoscopists and a large team nursing staff who work on the wards and in endoscopy across our three main sites.

 “In the gastroenterology department we pride ourselves on our commitment to patient safety, good communication and team-working. We face ever-increasing demands for outpatient and endoscopy services, but our strong and hardworking team are ready to face this challenge.”

Gastroenterology

Dr Edward Fogden – Consultant Gastroenterologist and Speciality Lead

Dr Mark Anderson – Consultant Gastroenterologist and Endoscopy Lead

Jo Thomas – Matron

Nikole Hazeldine-Potts – Operational Service Manager

Services

Services

Coeliac disease
Specialist coeliac disease clinics are run by gastroenterologists with an interest in coeliac disease with full dietetics support.

Endoscopy

The Trust offers a full range of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures using the latest equipment and we run a 24-hour on-call emergency endoscopy service. We are a National Bowel Cancer Screening Programme centre providing the Bowel Cancer FOBt service as well as Bowel Scope screening.

Endoscopies are carried out at the endoscopy units at City Hospital (main endoscopy unit and Birmingham Treatment Centre) and Sandwell Hospital.

Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust endoscopy units are JAG accredited.

Procedures carried out include.

• Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy including therapeutic procedures (eg dilatation) and Barrett’s surveillance.
• Colonoscopy
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy
• Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)
• Endoscopic ultrasound
• Video capsule endoscopy
• Oesophageal and endoscopic mucosal resections
• Breath testing for lactose and fructose intolerance and for bacterial overgrowth

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) – Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis

Care for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is provided by a team delivering a service based on the IBD standards with IBD clinical nurse specialists based at both City and Sandwell sites. We participate in the National IBD Audit, as well as both local and national research into IBD.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) clinics are run in City Hospital by Dr Lewis and at Sandwell Hospital by Dr Trudgill, with access to hypnotherapy.

Liver disease
All the gastroenterology consultants welcome referrals for liver disease and we have close links to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Liver Unit.

Viral hepatitis (hepatitis B and C)
Specialist clinics for patients with chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis C are run by Dr Singhal in conjunction with a specialist nurse at City Hospital and Sandwell Hospital. Dr Singhal works closely with colleagues at the Liver Unit at University Hospitals NHS Trust to deliver state-of-the-art treatment of viral hepatitis.

Alcohol services
We work closely with staff at the West Midlands Poisons Unit who offer fast-track outpatient assessment for patients wishing to be considered for elective inpatient alcohol detoxification as well as caring for patients presenting acutely with severe alcohol withdrawal. We work with the RAID team at City and the Aquarius and Swanswell alcohol teams to provide care for patients with alcohol dependency.

Cancer
We work in several teams in the diagnosis of patients with gastrointestinal cancer. Meetings are held weekly for colorectal, upper GI and hepatobiliary malignancy with specialist nurses and support for each. The gastroenterology team works closely with the upper GI surgeons at this trust and at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for upper GI malignancy, and the liver physicians and hepatobiliary surgeons at the Queen Elizabeth Liver Unit to care for patients with pancreatic and hepatobiliary cancer. We provide a number of services for patients with gastrointestinal cancer, including insertion of stents in the oesophagus, stomach/duodenum, biliary tract and colon. The gastroenterologists work closely with the oncology team, which reviews patients in clinics at both City and Sandwell hospitals. Where possible, patients will receive chemotherapy at our hospitals, but we have good links with the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for certain types of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Oesophageal disorders
Oesophageal clinics are run by Dr Trudgill at Sandwell and Dr Anderson at City. Dr Trudgill and Dr Anderson have a special interest in Barrett’s oesophagus and run dedicated screening endoscopy lists with trimodal imaging and specialist clinics. Research projects are ongoing with a nurse-led Barrett’s clinic at Sandwell Hospital.

GI Physiology Department
The GI Physiology service is run at Sandwell General Hospital by John Hayman, Clinical Scientist in GI Physiology. The service performs a range of diagnostic tests covering the gastrointestinal system including: High Resolution Oesophageal Manometry, ambulatory pH with Impedance studies, wireless pH monitoring and breath testing for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, lactose intolerance and fructose intolerance.

Anorectal disorders
Miss Kathryn Gill is a consultant colorectal surgeon with an interest in pelvic floor disorders such as faecal incontinence. A range of services, including physiology (manometry, endoanal ultrasound) is available at Sandwell General Hospital. Julie Wheatley, Nurse Practitioner in GI Physiology, performs anorectal physiology, endoanal ultrasound and whole pelvic floor scanning and percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation. Kelly Stackhouse, Functional Nurse Specialist, provides treatment for functional bowel and pelvic floor disorders.

Services include:

• Support Education and dietary advice
• Pelvic floor exercises (including correct defaecatory dynamics)
• Medication
• Biofeedback (including sensory retraining)
• Neuromodulation
• Irrigation

Nutrition
Nutrition teams work on both sites providing a full range of nutritional support.

Obesity
SWB does not currently offer a bariatric surgery service. Management of obesity is via dietetics departments in primary care.

Patient Stories

Patient Stories

Patient feedback about Heidi Johnson Gazzard, IBD Nurse at City Hospital

“I can’t imagine not having her around, I would be lost without her, I would have no one to turn to when I don’t understand something, when I need something explained. I believe if I never had her help or support, I would be a wreck of nerves and would have got very stressed and depressed with my Crohn’s if I did not have the support and advice she gives me.

“She helps me physically, mentally and emotionally. Heidi is very special, not only because she is my IBD Nurse, but also because she … is an inspiration.”

Poem about a patient’s experience of Bowel Cancer screening, published in a local newspaper

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Have you been a patient in the Gastroenterology Department? If you would like to share your story contact the Communications Department on 0121 507 5303 or email swbh.comms@nhs.net

Patient Information

Patient information leaflets

Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust has produced the following downloadable leaflets for patients having an endoscopy:

Abdominal Drain Procedure (Paracentesis) (ML6473)
Advice following a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy without sedation
Advice following a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy with sedation
Colorectal – Colorectal Specialist Nursing Service (ML5107)
Having an ERCP
Having a Colonoscopy
Having a Flexible Sigmoidoscopy
Having an Endoscopic Ultrasound
Having a fibroscan
Having a Trans Nasal Gastroscopy (TNG) ML6859

Endoscopy – Advice following a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy with entonox (ML6599)
Endoscopy – Advice following a gastroscopy with sedation (ML6475)
Endoscopy – Advice following gastroscopy with local anaesthetic throat spray (ML6476)
Endoscopy – Having a Gastroscopy (ML6458)
Endoscopy – Preparing for a gastroscopy when you have diabetes ML6998
Endoscopy – MOVIPREP Laxative instructions – Morning Appointment (ML5738)
Endoscopy – MOVIPREP Laxative instructions – Afternoon Appointment (ML5737)
Having a gastropexy feeding tube
96 Hour Wireless pH Study
Having a PEG feeding tube
Liver Biopsy
Managing your diabetes when taking laxative bowel preparation
Preparing for a gastroscopy when you have diabetes
Advice following a gastroscopy with sedation
Hydrogen Breath Tests(early morning appointment)
Hydrogen Breath test (mid-morning appointment)
High Resolution Oesophageal Manometry and 24 hour pH/Impedance Monitoring
Having Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (ML5979)

GI Physiology

High Resolution Anorectal Manometry, Endo-anal Ultrasound, Pelvic Floor Ultrasound and Vaginal Ultrasound (ML6560)
Wireless Capsule Endoscopy (ML6157)

If you are a patient you may find the websites below useful.

General gastroenterology

British Society of Gastroenterology
CORE

Irritable bowel disease
CORE
Crohn’s and Colitis UK

Coeliac disease
CORE
BBC Food – gluten-free recipes
Coeliac UK

Irritable bowel syndrome
CORE
The Gut Trust

Liver diseases
British Liver Trust
Department of Health – hepatitis C
NHS Choices – hepatitis C

Alcohol
Al-Anon
Alcohol Anonymous
Alcohol Concern
Aquarius
Birmingham Drug and Action Team
British Liver Trust
Drink Aware

Cancer
Birmingham Cancer Network
Cancer Research
CORE
Macmillan – general information
Upper GI Blues

Sexual health
Whittle St

If you are a healthcare professional you may find the following websites useful.

Gastroenterology
British Society of Gastroenterology
British Society of Gastroenterology guidelines listed by release date
British Society of Gastroenterology 2010 guidelines on colorectal surveillance

Inflammatory bowel disease
European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO) consensus documents. Includes: Crohn’s 2010 definitions and diagnosis, current management, special circumstance; UC 2008 – definition and diagnosis, current management, and special circumstances; prevention, diagnosis, and management of opportunistic infections in IBD; role of small bowel endoscopy in the management of patients with IBD

British Society of Gastroenterology 2010 guidelines on colorectal cancer surveillance in groups including IBD patients
IBD Standards
IBD Standards documents
St Mark’s Hospital patient information sheets

Coeliac disease
Coeliac UK health professionals page

Hepatology / liver diseases
AASLD
EASL
British Association for Study of the Liver

Nutrition
BAPEN
NICE

Research links
NIH research programmes

Research links
NIH research programmes

Professional societies / useful links
British Society of Gastroenterology
British Society of Gastroenterology guidelines
American Gastroenterology Association
ASGE
AASLD
BAPEN
NICE

Contacts

Contacts and Directions

Endoscopy Booking Team (please ring with queries about appointments for endoscopy tests)
City Hospital:0121 507 5754
Sandwell Hospital: ‪0121 507 3460

Endoscopy Nursing Team (please ring with queries about your test, preparing for a test, any questions about your medications etc)

City Hospital: 0121 507 4062

Sandwell Hospital: ‪0121 507 2489

Rapid Access (2WW) booking team: ‪0121 507 2658

Elective Access (please ring with queries about your outpatient appointment (new or follow-up): 0121 507 4151
Gastroenterology Secretaries: ‪0121 507 6134

For directions to the units, please click the links below:

City Hospital

Birmingham Treatment Centre

Sandwell General Hospital