Personal profile Dr Rebecca Saich was appointed as a Consultant Gastroenterologist in 2006 and as such has a huge wealth of experience with patients with gastrointestinal conditions. She looks after all gastroenterological conditions, her sub-specialist interests are in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis) coeliac disease and other conditions that cause abdominal pain and change in bowel habit. She believes the majority of conditions are diagnosed by listening to the patient’s history and then confirming by diagnostic tests. She also believes that the treatment of conditions should be undertaken in partnership with the patient using all modalities of treatment including dietary therapy, lifestyle change, support and reassurance, in addition to medication. She offers state-of the-art treatment for Inflammatory Bowel Disease, including the use of biologics, and leads the multidisciplinary team for the treatment of IBD in Basingstoke. She is the only accredited Bowel Cancer screening colonoscopist who offers private patient colonoscopy in Basingstoke. Having been designated by the National Screening Programme as a screening endoscopist she performs advanced colonoscopy techniques, in particular polyp removal. She has a particular aptitude for colonoscopy and peer reviewed audit shows her to have consistently high standards of colonoscopy, with high pathology detection rates and very low complication rates which are much lower than national average. Patient feedback shows excellent levels of satisfaction with her care. Dr Saich's NHS work is at The North Hampshire Hospital, Basingstoke undertaking all aspects of gastroenterology care including inpatients, endoscopic emergencies, outpatient endoscopy, Bowel Cancer Screening Programme and outpatients with general clinics in Basingstoke and Alton, as well as specialist Inflammatory Bowel Disease clinics and adolescent transition clinics. Dr Saich grew up locally in Farnham and trained at Guy’s and St Thomas Medical school in London in 1995 with distinctions in Medicine, Pathology, and Obstetrics and Gynaecology. She was academically gifted winning numerous prizes at medical school. She completed her junior doctor training in London becoming a member of the Royal College of Physicians in 1998. Following this she undertook her specialist registrar training with the Oxford Deanery. Working at the John Radcliffe Hospital, which is an international centre of excellence, she gained an in depth knowledge in caring for patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. She undertook a PhD at the Royal Free Hospital in London in 2010 and is actively involved in clinical research. In 2010 she became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians.