Gastroenterology Department
The Gastroenterology Team diagnose and treat a wide range of conditions and illnesses, either via outpatient services or through endoscopies. These diseases include:
- Inflammatory bowel diseases: including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
- Alcohol-related disease of the liver and gastrointestinal tract: including gastric ulcers and liver cirrhosis.
- Primary biliary cirrhosis: this is a long-term liver disease in which the bile ducts in the liver are damaged, leading to a build-up of bile. This damages the liver and eventually leads to scarring (cirrhosis).
- Pancreatitis: this is a disease in which the pancreas becomes inflamed. Pancreatic damage happens when the digestive enzymes are activated before they are released into the small intestine and begin attacking the pancreas.
- Coeliac disease: if you have this condition, your small intestine fails to digest and absorb food. This is due to a sensitivity of the intestinal lining to the protein gliadin, which is contained in gluten.
We offer a range of services to diagnose these diseases, including endoscopy services such as colonoscopy and gastroscopy, and gut lining biopsies.
The Gastroenterology Department provides outpatient services at Harrogate District Hospital, as well as Ripon Community Hospital and Wetherby Health Centre. The service has recently expanded and we now provide endoscopy lists and outpatient clinics at Wharfedale Hospital.
Referral
Patients access the gastroenterology services via referral, either from a GP or from one consultant to another.
Key staff
Consultant Gastroenterologist: Dr Jo Ridpath
Consultant Gastroenterologist: Dr Gareth Davies
Consultant Gastroenterologist: Dr Ganesh Sivaji
Consultant Gastroenterologist: Dr Deven Vani
Consultant Gastroenterologist: Dr Yean Lim
Locum Consultant Gastroenterologist: Dr Sangeetha Thanaraj
Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinical Nurse Specialist: Sr Grace Hamill
Medical Secretaries: Amy Bentall and Stacy Leech
Useful links
National Association of Crohn’s and Colitis is a charity that provides information and support for those suffering from Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and other forms of inflammatory bowel disease.
Coeliac UK is the oldest and largest coeliac disease charity in the world.
British Liver Foundation provides information and support groups for those with liver conditions.