Hepatology
Overview of our service
Hepatology is the study and management of conditions related to the liver.
We provide both acute inpatient and outpatient care for a wide range of conditions affecting the liver and are a tertiary referral centre for hospitals across north-east London. Our team encompasses a range of professions, including consultants, junior doctors, specialist nurses, pharmacists and radiologists and we are part of the wider gastroenterology department at the Centre for Digestive Diseases.
There are a wide range of conditions which affect the liver and patients can present with a spectrum of symptoms, but some patients with chronic liver disease can also be asymptomatic.
We have a number of specialists with different areas of expertise, and are committed to improving patient care and outcomes through active research which is undertaken in collaboration with the Grahame Hayton Unit. With close links to Queen Mary University of London and Barts and the London Medical school, we contribute to undergraduate and postgraduate training of doctors and scientists.
Information for patients
Liver disease can present with a variety of symptoms including:
- jaundice
- itching
- abdominal swelling
- confusion and bleeding problems.
Importantly, however, some patients with chronic liver disease can remain asymptomatic for many years and may only present with the complications of chronic liver disease, which is often too late to offer any meaningful therapeutic intervention.
If you think you have a liver problem, it is important to see your GP for an initial assessment, and they can refer you to our service if clinically indicated.
We treat
- Viral liver disease; Hepatitis B, C and delta virus
- Alcohol-related liver disease
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- Auto-immune hepatitis
- Primary biliary cholangitis
- Primary sclerosing cholangitis
- Wilson’s Disease
- Haemochromatosis
- Cirrhosis
Our main hospital is The Royal London Hospital, but we have outpatient clinics at Newham Hospital, Whipps Cross Hospital and we take referrals from across north-east London.
If you are not registered with our service and you think you need to be seen by a member of our team, you should ask your GP to refer you to the hepatology department at your nearest hospital.
Contact us
If you are already known with our service and need to get in touch with an enquiry/change an appointment, please contact our team.
- Medication requests: 020 359 46765
- Telephone Contact: 0203 594 6765, 020 359 46503 or 020 359 40501 (9am-5pm)
- General enquiries/appointment queries: email us
For clinicians
Referrals
We accept referrals from across Barts Health for inpatient and outpatient work, and across north-east London. If you have a patient you believe would be eligible for our service, please email us.
Outpatient clinics
- Viral Hepatitis - including Hepatitis B, C and delta
- NAFLD
- General hepatology
- HCC
- Advanced liver disease and transplant assessment
- Hot liver clinic – by arrangement with hepatology service only. Please discuss with the hepatologist of the week by bleeping 1270 if you would like to book a patient into this clinic.
MDTs
We run weekly MDTs on:
- Hepatitis C
- Hepatitis B
- HCC
- NAFLD
- HPB Radiology
If you would like to refer a patient to one of our MDTs, please email bartshealth.hepatology.services@nhs.net for further information.
Inpatients
For inpatient advice regarding hepatology matters, please contact the hepatology registrar on bleep 1270, Monday-Friday, 8.30am-5pm.
Out-of-hours cover for emergency matters is available via switch (non-resident). There is a named hepatology consultant on call every week.
Free and confidential home tests for hepatitis C available via the NHS
The NHS is committed to eliminating hepatitis C as a major public health issue in England, ahead of the World Health Organization's goal to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.
Achieving this ambition is crucial. If left untreated, hepatitis C can lead to life-threatening conditions like liver cancer or liver failure. While significant progress is being made to reduce the number of people with hepatitis C, more needs to be done to prevent new infections and reinfections.
Many people across England may have hepatitis C without knowing. Sharing toothbrushes, getting tattoos abroad, having unprotected sexual intercourse and injecting drugs are just some of the ways people can contract hepatitis C. To reach our goal of eliminating hepatitis C we need to get more people testing.
If you are over the age of 18 and live in England, can now order a free and confidential home test for hepatitis C via the NHS. This is an at-home, self-sample test taking a few drops of blood from your finger. If found positive for hepatitis C, you can be treated and cured.
Our research
We have a strong track record for leading and taking part in clinical studies and collaborating with other liver centres across the UK and abroad. Our aim is to further develop our medical understanding of liver disease and to ensure our patients have access to new treatments and the latest therapies for the management of liver disease.
We also work closely with a dedicated team of scientists undertaking laboratory research. This has resulted in our research being published in high-impact peer reviewed journals.
Clinical studies
We have a wide range of clinical studies currently open – particuarly for patients with Hepatitis B and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. We run these clinical trials from the Grahame Hayton Unit the The Royal London Hospital.
If you would like to find out more about taking part in research, please speak to your doctor or nurse and ask whether there is a clinical trial that you may be eligible for.