Consultant Gastroenterologist Prof Ailsa Hart is Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) unit at St Mark’s Hospital. While patients can be seen at Northwick Park and Central Middlesex hospitals, the IBD unit is predominantly based at St Mark’s. The unit is a renowned worldwide specialist service, which attracts both national and international referrals. Dr Hart leads the IBD team, Mr Janindra Warusavitarne is lead colorectal surgeon and Madhoor Ramdeen leads the IBD Clinical Nurse Specialist team.
The service has a multidisciplinary approach to patient care; with a team consisting of gastroenterologists, colorectal surgeons, IBD specialist nurses, psychologists/psychiatrists, pharmacists and dietitians. There is a weekly IBD multidisciplinary meeting (MDM) where the team discuss complex cases to discuss patients on biological treatments. Paediatric gastroenterologist Dr Warren Hyer holds a monthly joint transition clinic for young people with IBD.
The IBD clinical nurse specialist team, led by Madhoor Ramdeen, offer a telephone advice line, nurse-led clinics (for patient education, information and support), a dedicated IBD day care unit, immunosuppressant blood monitoring service, inpatient care, and an annual open information event biannual IBD Open Day.
The Unit has a breadth of Research Work including
- Intestinal immunology
- Microbiota in IBD and the novel therapy, faecal microbial transplantation or FMT
- Assessment of causes, monitoring and novel treatment of perianal fistulating Crohn’s disease
- Causes and novel treatments for wounds in Crohn’s Disease
- Optimisation of surveillance for colorectal cancer in IBD patients
- Assessment of factors involvement in initiation and perpetuation of pouchitis
- Assessment of epigenetic factors involved in IBD
- Optimisation of symptom control for IBD patients, including fatigue, pain and incontinence
The Clinical Research Team also runs clinical trials to offer to patients with IBD.
Members of the IBD team frequently lecture on all aspects of IBD patient care throughout the year nationally and internationally. The team support St Mark’s postgraduate teaching terms, academic courses, and our Annual International Congress: Frontiers in Intestinal and Colorectal Disease. The team also run an annual IBD course and IBD Specialist Nurse training day.
Members of the team publish in high impact journals and contribute to national and international committees including the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation, British Society of Gastroenterology and United European Gastroenterology.
The Inflammatory Bowel Disease team
The Gastroenterologists (medical doctors)
Prof Ailsa Hart leads the IBD service and we are fortunate to have a large team of gastroenterologists:
Dr Ayesha Akbar, Dr Naila Arebi, Dr Simon Gabe, Dr Adam Haycock, Dr Ian Johnson, Dr Meron Jacyna, Dr Mani Naghibi, Dr Sharon O’Brien (Central Middlesex), Dr Max Pitcher, Dr Brian Saunders, Dr Amar Sharif (Central Middlesex), Dr Siwan Thomas-Gibson, Dr Wilson, and Dr Warren Hyer (Paediatric).
The Colorectal Surgeons
Mr Janindra Warusavitarne leads the surgical IBD services with his consultant colleagues:
Prof Sue Clark, Mr Omar Faiz, Mr Ian Jenkins, Mr Peter McDonald and Miss Carolynne Vaizey.
IBD Clinical Nurse Specialist (0208 235 4155)
Madhoor Ramdeen leads the IBD Clinical Nurse Specialist team and the IBD Day Care Unit.