Gastroenterology and Liver Medicine (Hepatology) Outpatients

Gastroenterology and Liver Medicine (Hepatology) Outpatients

You might be invited to visit the department in these situations: 

• You have spoken to your GP, and they think you need to see a gastroenterologist.
• You have seen another hospital team, who believes you need further tests by a gastroenterologist.
• You have left hospital where you were diagnosed with a gastrointestinal condition. 

We have gastroenterology clinics led by consultants every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. Some of the conditions we treat are: 

• Obscure stomach or bowel bleeding.
• Malabsorption.
• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
• Chronic diarrhoea.
• Coeliac disease that has not responded to a gluten-free diet. 

There are special IBD nurse clinics on Monday, Tuesday (at Cossham hospital), Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  

We also have special dietitian clinics every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.  

Your doctor, nurse, or GP can refer you to these clinics. 

Contact information

If you are known to have a form of IBD and are also under the Gastroenterology team at North Bristol Trust, you can contact the IBD specialist nurses for advice: ibdnurses@nbt.nhs.uk or 0117 414 6354 

North Bristol Liver Unit 

You might be invited to visit the liver unit if: 

• Your GP thinks you need to see a liver specialist.
• Another hospital team thinks you need more tests by a liver specialist.
• You've been diagnosed with a liver condition after leaving the hospital. 

Our liver clinic runs every Thursday and you may see different doctors from the team. You may also see liver nurses, alcohol specialists, a dietitian who specialises in liver care, and a technician who performs a test called a fibroscan. 

We work closely with the liver transplant team at King’s College Hospital in London. Every three months, we have a joint liver transplant clinic at Southmead Hospital with doctors from King’s College. 

We also have liver nurse clinics on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays for patients with viral hepatitis or cirrhosis (scarring of the liver). 

If your liver disease is related to alcohol use, there is a clinic on Mondays for this. You might be referred by your doctor, nurse, or GP. This clinic is run by an alcohol specialist team and may include a fibroscan. 

Contact information

If you are already a patient at the liver unit, you can contact the liver nurse specialist for advice by emailing livernurses@nbt.nhs.uk or calling 0117 414 6466. 

Medical Day Unit 

You might be asked to attend this unit by your consultant, specialist nurse, or GP for treatments like  

• Blood transfusions. 
• Iron infusions.
• Paracentesis (a procedure to drain fluid from the abdomen due to liver disease), 
• Intravenous medications for treating IBD (inflammatory bowel disease). 

Once you have been referred, you can contact the unit directly at 0117 414 3200. 

Who do I contact if I have not heard about my appointment? 

Please contact the outpatient booking team in the first instance: 

0300 555 0103 or email OutpatientsContactCentre@nbt.nhs.uk 

© North Bristol NHS Trust. This edition published April 2025. Review due April 2028. NBT003609.