Southern and SA Gastrointestinal Services

Introduction

Southern Gastrointestinal Services aims to provide a high quality, comprehensive digestive health service. Our practice is comprised of independent specialists practicing in association in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, internal medicine and digestive surgery, supported by dieticians and psychologists. We also have associated and visiting specialists consulting with us in the areas of neurology, cardiology, upper GI and colorectal surgery.

Southern Gastrointestinal Services was originally set up by Drs Derwin Williams and Peter Bampton in 2000 at the time of the opening of Flinders Private Hospital, and since that time has grown to encompass four hub sites – at Flinders Private, Wakefield Clinic, Western Hospital and the Tennyson Centre. The current partners in association are A/Prof Peter Bampton, Dr Laurie Chitti, Dr Sam Edwards, Dr Marc LeMire, Dr Alex Rodgers (Gastroenterology and Hepatology) and Dr Justin Bessell (Digestive Surgery) . The following specialists also base their private practice with us – Dr Dylan Bartholomeusz, Dr Elizabeth Chow, Dr Mahinda De Silva, Dr Kate Muller, A/Prof Chris Rayner, Dr Martin Tan, Dr Alan Wigg, Prof Graeme Young (Gastroenterology and Hepatology) and Dr Andrew Chew (Digestive Surgery).

Our Hub Sites

The Flinders Private Site is located on level 6, Suite 604 at Flinders Private Hospital. A/Prof Peter Bampton, Dr Elizabeth Chow, Dr Laurie Chitti, Dr Sam Edwards, Dr Mahinda De Silva, Dr Alan Wigg and Prof Graeme Young provide gastroenterology and hepatology services to this site, in association with Dr Andrew Chew (Digestive Surgery) and Nick Wray (Dietician). The Specialist Training Program Gastroenterology Registrar (a Commonwealth Government funded training position) consults under supervision from this site. Prof David Watson (Upper GI Surgery) and Dr Sam Hall (Gastroenterology and Hepatology) also visit this site.

The Wakefield Clinic (SA Gastrointestinal Services) Site is located on level 1, at the Wakefield Clinic, next to Wakefield Hospital. Dr Dylan Bartholomeusz, Dr Sam Edwards, A/Prof Chris Rayner and Dr Alan Wigg provide gastroenterology and hepatology services to this site, in association with Dr Justin Bessell (Digestive Surgery), Mr Chris Thompson and Ms Mary King (Psychology) and Ms Sally Johnson (Dietetician). The Wakefield Clinic Site also is the location of Adelaide Obesity Surgery, as well as a Neurology service (Prof Temlett).

The Western Hospital (Western Gastrointestinal Services) Site is located at Western Hospital, in Henley Beach. Dr Laurie Chitti and Dr Martin Tan provide a gastroenterology and hepatology service to this site, in association with Nick Wray (Dietician). This is also the location of Western Heart Care, which provides an exercise stress test and echocardiography service in addition to cardiology consultations.

The Tennyson Centre (Tennyson Gastroenterology) Site is located at 520 South Rd, Kurralta Park. A/Prof Peter Bampton, Dr Elizabeth Chow, Dr Marc LeMire and Dr Martin Tan provide a gastroenterology and hepatology service to this site, in association with Dr Justin Bessell (Digestive Surgery) and Anne Schneyder (Dietician from Nutritional Professionals Australia). A Colorectal Surgical service is also provided by A/Prof Peter Hewett and Dr Darren Tonkin from Colorectal Surgery Associates. This is also the location of Adelaide Breath Testing, a service that provides testing for fructose and lactose intolerance using hydrogen + methane testing via a kit that can be used at home, as well as testing for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and for the presence of Helicobacter pylori.

Co-ordinated Health Care Programs

Southern Gastrointestinal Services runs a number of co-ordinated health care programs in the areas of colorectal cancer prevention (SCOOP), oesophageal cancer prevention (BOS). These prevention programs, run in association with these services at Flinders Medical Centre and the Repatriation General Hospital, are nationally recognized as providing excellence in digestive cancer prevention.

Southern Gastrointestinal Services participates in the Southern Adelaide Inflammatory Bowel Disease Service and, almost uniquely amongst private practices in Australia, has its own IBD Nurse (Kerrie Moss – based at the Tennyson Site). The IBD Nurse ensures patients with Crohn's disease and Ulcerative colitis are provided with receive optimal care and education. Access to such a nurse is recommended as "standard of care" by the Australian IBD Association.

Functional gut disease and irritable bowel syndrome are common conditions that require a multi-disciplinary team to manage well. This is provided by our practice, with breath testing to investigate carbohydrate intolerance in conjunction with gastroenterologists, dieticians and psychologists all with an interest in these conditions.

Adelaide Obesity Surgery is associated with Southern Gastrointestinal Services and is based at the Wakefield site. It provides a comprehensive approach to weight management involving a multidisciplinary team comprising of an internal medicine specialist, bariatric physicians, dieticians, psychologists and a bariatric surgeon.

Audit and Research Activity

All the sites and specialists within Southern Gastrointestinal Services use a common electronic medical record system (ERS). An ERS based practice provides a high level of information storage and enables seamless referrals/second opinions from within our practice. The ERS is also used for audit purposes, and the practice has presented audit data at the scientific meeting of the Gastrointestinal Society of Australia (Australian Gastroenterology Week). Data in these audits are de-identified for patient privacy, and such audits are an important way that the practice reviews and improves care.

In addition to audit activity, Southern Gastrointestinal Services participates in research projects, both in association with Flinders Medical Centre as well as its own research program. You may be offered participation in research studies. Such research studies would have been approved of by an independent research ethics committee, but participation is entirely voluntary and non-participation will not affect you care in anyway. Tennyson Gastroenterology, in conjunction with the Tennyson Day Hospital Infusion Centre also participates in trials of new drugs for the management of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, the only private practice in South Australia with such an interest and capacity.

Specialist Training Program (STP)

Southern Gastrointestinal Services, in conjunction with Flinders Private Hospital and in association with Flinders Medical Centre, successfully applied for funding for a registrar under the Australian Government's Specialist Training Program in 2009. This program is devised to extend training opportunities into non-public hospital areas of medicine, and is federally funded. There is good evidence that health care environments involved in training have better health care outcomes than those not involved in training.

The STP position at Southern Gastrointestinal Services/Flinders Private Hospital was the first position funded in Gastroenterology under this scheme in Australia, and has been accredited as a training post by the Gastroenterology Specialist Advisory Committee of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. The position is supervised by A/Prof Peter Bampton and Dr Laurie Chitti.

If you have been booked to see the STP registrar, then you will be notified beforehand and you will also be seen by one of our specialists. If you have been admitted to Flinders Private Hospital under one of our gastroenterologists you will be seen by the STP registrar daily, in addition to your specialist, providing more managed and timely care than sometimes occurs in the private sector.

Endoscopic Services

Our specialists provide the complete range of endoscopic services. All of the gastroenterologists and digestive surgeons have had their endoscopy and colonoscopy training recognized by the Conjoint Committee of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Royal Australian College of Surgeons and Gastroenterological Society of Australia. Other specific services are provided by Dr Justin Bessell (oesophagogastric endoscopic ultrasound), Dr Sam Edwards (Pillcam examination of small bowel) and Dr Alan Wigg (ERCP). Our practice offers endoscopic services at Flinders Private Hospital, Wakefield Hospita, Tennyson Centre Day Surgery, Western Hospital as well as Blackwood Hospital, Glenelg Community Hospital, Central Districts Hospital and a number of country locations. Specialists from out practice also contribute to the endoscopic services of the following public hospitals: Flinders Medical Centre, Noarlunga Health Service, Repatriation General Hospital and the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Fees and Charges

Southern Gastrointestinal Services consists of independent specialists practicing in association, and so the fees are set by the individual specialist's practice. Information on fees is available either by looking up the individual doctor or by contacting the site where you plan to see the specialist to whom you have been referred.

Accessing Southern Gastrointestinal Services

A referral from your general practitioner is required prior to being seen in consultation by one of our specialists.

Contact for Comments

Southern Gastrointestinal Services aims to provide excellence in digestive health care. If you have any concerns or questions, or feel that our service could be improved please contact the manager at the site that you were seen.