Our Services

The Department of Gastroenterology strives to provide quality care for our patients through a focus on patient satisfaction, ongoing research, and the education and development of department faculty, research fellows and junior doctors. The Department of Gastroenterology at St Vincent's Hospital provides a comprehensive range of consultative and diagnostic procedures in gastroenterology. It has a particular interest in chronic viral hepatitis and other liver diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, therapeutic endoschopy and oesophageal disorders.

Clinical Care

  • Gastroenterology clinic
  • Endoscopy services including gastroscopy, colonoscopy, diagnostic and interventional endoscopic ultrasound, ERCP, double balloon enteroscopy
  • Hepatitis Clinic, including requests for consultation of HCV prescribing
  • Liver Clinic
  • Fibroscan service
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic
  • Small Bowel Ultrasound Service
  • Obesity Management Clinic
  • Nutrition Service
  • Functional Gut Clinic

Clinical Care and Clinics

The Department of Gastroenterology at St Vincent's Hospital provides a comprehensive range of consultative and diagnostic procedures in gastroenterology. It has a particular interest in chronic viral hepatitis and other liver diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, therapeutic endoscopy and oesophageal disorders.

Outpatient Clinics

Liver Clinics
  • General Liver Clinic (the liver clinic is held on Friday mornings)
  • Hepatitis Clinic, St Vincent's Hospital Campus (the hepatitis clinic is held on Wednesday mornings)
  • Hepatitis Clinic, Werribee Mercy Hospital Campus (the liver clinic is held on Thursday mornings)
  • HCV Treatment - request for consultation for GP prescription of HCV medicines
Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinics
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic, St Vincent's Hospital Campus (the IBD clinic is held on Monday mornings)
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic, Werribee Mercy Hospital Campus (the IBD clinic is held on Thursday mornings)
  • Preconception and Pregnancy Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic, St Vincent's Hospital Campus (the IBD clinic is held on Wednesdays mornings)
General Gastroenterology Clinic
  • The general gastroenterology clinic is held on Monday afternoons.
Functional Gut Clinic
  • The Functional Gut clinic is held on Thursday afternoons.
Obesity Management Clinic
  • Required referral information: BMI, medical history, medications, available laboratory results eg: fasting glucose, electrolytes/renal function, TSH, lipid profile, LFT.
  • Urgent referrals are within 30 days and refer to those where the patient is likely to deteriorate quickly, with significant consequences for health.
  • All other referrals will be triaged as routine.
  • The obesity management clinic is held on Thursday mornings.

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    Appointments

    • Appointments can be made by phoning (03) 9231 3475 or faxing (03) 9231 3489
    • GP enquiries - (03) 9231 2898
    • Lead Nurse - (03) 9231 2898

    Diagnostic Services

    Endoscopy
    • gastroscopy, colonoscopy, pillcam, specialised endoscopic procedures including ERCP, endoscopic ultrasound, push enteroscopy, endoscopic stenting, double-balloon endoscopy, HALO radiofrequency ablation, endoscopic mucosal resection, endoscopic surgical dissection
    • patients requiring endoscopy must be assessed in gastroenterology clinic prior to the procedure - please refer patients for an appointment
    Liver Fibroscan
    • an appointment for a liver fibroscan can be made by completing the following referral* and faxing the form through to (03) 9231 3529
    Oesophageal manometry, pH monitoring
    • the department provides a comprehensive oesophageal motility service, including 24 hour pH probe
    • appointments can be made by completing the following referral
    • if you have an urgent enquirey please call the manometry nurse co-ordinator on (03) 9231 3529

    Hepatitis Nurse Consultants

    Hepatitis nurse consultants co-ordinate care for our patients with chronic viral hepatitis:

    • ensure that patients who are treatment candidates or have advanced liver disease are reviewed in a timely manner
    • provide support to patients undergoing treatment for hepatitis
    • provide individual education and advice to GPs about hepatitis and the appropriate management
    • support HPs to participate in the hepatitis shared care program
    • co-ordinate GP requests for consultation for prescription of HCV medicines
    • contact Susanne: Tel: (03) 9231 2259/2171, Fax: (03) 9231 3596

    Inflammatory Bowel Disease Nurse Consultants

    IBD nurse consultants co-ordinate care for our patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease being treated with biological agents (anti-TNF therapy):

    • assess patients' suitability for biological (anti-TNF) treatment for IBD in compliance with the Medicare guidelines and to ensure patients receive such appropriate drug treatments
    • educate patients adequately regarding biologic therapy for IBD (partially self-managed)
    • monitor patients throughout their course of therapy in consultation with the treating gastroenterologist
    • contact IBD Helpline/IBD Nurse Consultant: Tel: (03) 9231 3592, Fax: (03) 9231 3644

    Contact

    General Enquiries:

    Gastroenterology Department

    Tel: (03) 9231 3580 

    FAX: (03) 9231 3590

    Email: svhm.gastro@svha.org.au

    Location: Building D - Daly Wing, Level 4 - D47

    Hours: Monday to Friday 8.00am to 5.00pm

    Specialist Clinics Enquiries:

    Patient Enquiries  - Tel: (03) 9231 3475

    GP Enquiries –Tel: (03) 9231 2898
    FAX referrals to: (03) 9231 3489

    Case Coordinator Nurse – Tel: (03) 9231 3225

    Referral Officer – Tel: (03) 9231 1256 

    Clinical Enquiries:

    Gastroenterology Registrar – contact via the Hospital Switchboard – Tel: (03) 9231 2211

    Hepatitis Nurse Consultant – Susanne Glasgow; Tel: (03) 9231 2259; FAX: (03) 9231 3596

    IBD Nurse Consultant – Tel (03) 9231 3592; FAX: (03) 9231 3644