Manifesto calling for greater equality launched

The Scotland and Wales parliamentary elections take place on 6 May, and the Policy Team here at Crohn’s & Colitis UK has sent our manifesto, Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Three Steps Towards Greater Equality, to all candidates. The manifesto calls on candidates to work with us and speak up for equality of care, access and opportunity for everyone living with Crohn’s and Colitis in Scotland and Wales, if elected.  

The document has been well-received by candidates in both countries.  

“We’ve had nothing but positive responses from people willing to work with us if they get elected,” says Elaine Steven, policy lead for Scotland.  

“A few candidates have mentioned that they liked the specific asks in the manifesto, and some revealed that they have family members with Crohn’s or Colitis.”  

The manifesto focuses on three main areas: 

Health services 

We are calling for governments to actively promote equality by working with others to reduce unnecessary variation in the quality of Crohn’s and Colitis care. In line with the recently released IBD UK report, the three key steps involve prioritising rapid access to diagnosis and treatment, specifying minimum staffing levels and the roles needed for a complete IBD team, and developing a supported self-management programme to allow people to take more control of their condition.  

Toilets 

The manifesto calls for more access to well-maintained, free public toilets. In Wales, this should be enhanced through the integration of Llwybr Newydd, the new Wales Transport Strategy, and existing local toilets strategies.  

“We are urging the government to recognise that the provision of toilets and the provision of transport are linked,” says Wayne Lewis, policy lead for Wales. “Toilets aren’t just needed at the destination, they’re needed on the journey as well.”  

The manifesto also asks governments to ensure that local authorities – who are responsible for facilities in the area – make public toilets easy to find by providing ‘live’ information about their availability, and to require all accessible toilets to display Not Every Disability is Visible signage.   

New ways of working 

Innovations around the way we work, study and access healthcare have come about as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. These changes have often benefited people living with Crohn’s and Colitis and the manifesto urges that they are retained as we come out of the pandemic and are built into service recovery plans.  

Crohn’s & Colitis UK is calling for governments to work with the education sector to ensure that remote learning resources are readily available to students who may be absent at short notice due to Crohn’s, Colitis or other fluctuating, long-term health conditions.  

We are also calling for policymakers to ensure reasonable adjustments are made for affected employees. We want employees to retain more choice when it comes to remote and flexible working, helping them to better manage their condition.  

Finally, the manifesto urges governments to promote the increased use of remote health monitoring and video consultations, which should be accessible based on choice. This will enable everyone to get on with their lives with minimum disruption. This is all the more critical for those living in the remote areas of Scotland and Wales, who would have to travel long distances for in-person consultations. 

Following the elections, the Policy Team plans to follow up with newly-elected candidates. There was formerly a Cross-Party Group on Inflammatory Bowel Disease in the Scottish Parliament, adds Elaine. “Technically, that is non-existent at the moment due to the dissolution of parliament, but we’ll be looking to re-establish it after the elections and to use it as a forum for any newly elected MSPs who are interested in taking forward our work.” 

Read the Scotland manifesto or the Wales manifesto (in Welsh here).