Welbeck Health Partners has rolled out OMED Health’s home-based SIBO testing pathway across its network following a three-month evaluation.

Welbeck Health Partners has adopted OMED Health’s home-based testing pathway for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) across its specialist healthcare network following a three-month assessment of the service.

The pathway enables patients to complete breath testing at home while providing clinicians with specialist interpretation and diagnosis through an online platform.

Under the model, Welbeck clinicians can request a SIBO test through OMED Health’s practitioner portal. Patients then receive a home-testing kit containing the OMED Health Breath Analyzer, instructions for a companion mobile application and either a glucose or lactulose substrate.

Once completed, breath test results are transmitted in real time and reviewed by an in-house gastrointestinal specialist employed by OMED Health. Diagnostic findings are then returned to the referring Welbeck clinician through the practitioner portal for patient follow-up.

The rollout follows a three-month evaluation period during which Welbeck assessed the pathway’s performance and its impact on patient care.

SIBO is increasingly recognised as a contributor to gastrointestinal symptoms commonly associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). According to figures cited by the companies, around 17% of adults in the UK experience IBS symptoms, while access to specialist diagnostic testing remains limited.

The companies said the home-based pathway is intended to improve access to testing while reducing the need for patients to attend dedicated clinic appointments.

Devinder Bansi, consultant gastroenterologist and founding partner of Welbeck, said: “Home-based testing makes SIBO analysis much more accessible for our patients, many of whom would otherwise need to arrange a dedicated clinic visit. Additionally, having specialist diagnosis included as part of the service means our consultants can confidently follow up with their patients and expedite care. After working with the OMED pathway over the past few months, we were satisfied that it supports the quality and standard of care our patients expect from Welbeck and so have chosen to make it available more widely across our network.”

OMED Health forms part of Owlstone Medical, which develops breath-based diagnostic technologies for disease detection and precision medicine applications.

Billy Boyle, co-founder and CEO at Owlstone Medical, said: “Too many people living with debilitating digestive symptoms wait far longer than they should for diagnosis and a clear treatment plan. This partnership shows how that can change: through home-based SIBO testing, with expert diagnosis handled by our team, Welbeck is widening access to specialist digestive care without adding burden to busy referring clinicians. We are delighted to be working with Welbeck and see this partnership as a model for making SIBO testing part of routine care.”

The OMED Health Breath Analyzer used within the pathway carries UKCA marking, while the service is delivered under Owlstone Medical’s Care Quality Commission registration.

While neither company disclosed patient numbers or commercial terms associated with the rollout, the adoption represents a further example of healthcare providers incorporating home-based diagnostic pathways into routine clinical practice.