Dr Safa Al-Shamma
Qualifications
MB ChB with Commendation, FRCP (Edin)
GMC number: 6053924
Practising since: 2002
Specialties
General (internal) Medicine, Gastroenterology
Sub-specialties: Hepatology
Consultation times
- Thursday PM
- Overview
About
Dr Safa Al-Shamma graduated from Dundee University with Commendation in 2002. He trained in general and acute medicine in Scotland, followed by a respiratory and intensive care medicine rotations at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, one of the top respiratory hospitals in the world. He then joined the gastroenterology training programme at Mersey Deanery.
Dr Al-Shamma later completed a specialist hepatology and liver transplantation fellowship at The Royal London Hospital and then King’s College London, the top UK transplant centre. Subsequently, he was appointed as a consultant gastroenterologist with a special interest in hepatology at The Royal Bournemouth Hospital (part of University Hospitals Dorset) since early 2011.
Dr Al-Shamma was appointed head of the gastroenterology department at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital 2018-2021, leading the department through a merger process and the COVID challenges. He was then appointed the deputy director of medical education at UHD 2021-2024 due his significant involvement in training and education. He has numerous national roles including secretary of the MRCP part I Exam Board and the Specialist Certificate Exam Board for higher trainees.
Dr Al-Shamma is currently the secretary (soon to be senior secretary) of The British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG). This is a senior national role in the UK's main gastroenterology society and is responsible for the educational programme, annual conference and member services. He sits on the BSG council and executive committees, with responsibility for furthering UK gastroenterology and hepatology care provision and healthcare professionals education, training and support.
Dr Al-Shamma is trained as a gastroenterologist and manages a wide range of gastrointestinal conditions including inpatient and outpatient settings. He also has particular expertise in managing all aspects of liver disease following his specialist hepatology and liver transplant fellowships. This includes investigation of abnormal liver function tests, management of fatty liver, haemochromatosis, viral hepatitis, fibroscanning and work-up for liver transplantation. He also set up and leads a County wide complex hepatology clinic including hepatocellular cancer management.
Dr Al-Shamma additionally has a particular interest in complex colonoscopy as one of three endoscopists performing advanced and complex colonoscopy procedures at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital. His endoscopy outcomes, as benchmarked nationally, is well above the average throughout the UK and currently one of the top in the UK based on nationally collected data (JAG database)..
Finally, Dr Al-Shamma has an active research interest including fatty liver disease, viral hepatitis and IBS, having collaborated with different institutions and commercial partners to deliver clinical trials.
Special interests
Abnormal liver function and jaundice work-up, fibroscanning and interpretation
Abdominal pain
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease ( now known as steaotic liver disease/ MASLD)
Liver cirrhosis and complications, liver cancer (HCC), viral hepatitis and liver transplant work-up
Advanced endoscopy particularly complex colonoscopy
Change in bowel habits, anaemia, upper GI symptoms
Personal interests
Sport and fitness, advanced club squash, travel and trekking including across the Great Wall of China in 2008.
Treatments and tests offered by Dr Safa Al-Shamma at Nuffield Health
- Colonoscopy
- Gastroscopy (or gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy)
- Flexible sigmoidoscopy
- Therapeutic Endoscopy
- Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy
Locations Dr Safa Al-Shamma works with
Related experience
Research
- GI snapshot of the month. ‘Diarrhoea in an immunosuppressed patient’ GUT 2010
- "Factors determining bone mineral density loss in chronic hepatitis B patients: is tenofovir the main culprit"?
- "Impact of a nurse-led lifestyle clinic on NAFLD outcomes" - poster EUGW09, London
- "Acute kidney injury and hepatorenal syndrome in liver disease: precipitating factors, treatment and outcomes"
- Book chapter on Cancer surveillance in Crohn’s disease and UC - Recent advances in surgery
- "The evaluation of serum ferritin in the diagnosis of haemachromatosis in an ethnically diverse population"
Memberships
- Royal College of Physicians (Ed)
- Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland
- American Association for the Study of Liver
- British Association for the Study of the Liver
- British Society of Gastroenterology
Other posts held
- Consultant General Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology
- Hepatology The Royal Bournemouth Hospital
- Nuffield Health Bournemouth Hospital
Insurers Dr Safa Al-Shamma works with
Dr Safa Al-Shamma works with the following private medical insurance providers:
- Aviva Health
- AXA Health
- AXA - Global Healthcare
- Benenden Health
- Bupa
- Bupa On Demand
- Cigna
- Exeter Family Friendly
- Vitality Health (Pru Health)
- WPA
- Freedom Health
Declaration
Dr Safa Al-Shamma does not hold a share or financial interest in this hospital, another Nuffield Health hospital or the company.
Dr Safa Al-Shamma does not have a share or financial interest in equipment used at this hospital or another Nuffield Health hospital.
Dr Safa Al-Shamma does not hold any paid advisory role(s) at this hospital or on behalf of Nuffield Health.