Campaigning for Early Diagnosis in England

Published: 20 December 2022

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On 2 November we launched our new campaign Cut the Crap: Check for Crohn’s and Colitis with an event in the Houses of Parliament. This event brought together over 60 parliamentarians, clinicians, health leaders and Crohn’s & Colitis UK ambassadors to explore the impact of a delayed diagnosis and how we can work together to address this issue.

The event was opened by our Chair of Trustees Dr Jackie Craissati who explained the need for the campaign and the three actions that we need politicians and health leaders to take. Our ambassador Sacha Dhawan gave an honest account of his diagnosis journey, which was followed by our campaign video featuring Natalie’s story.

Speaking about the event Sacha said:

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"I'm so proud to be part of this campaign. Early diagnosis is so important. I couldn't feel more empowered tonight."

We heard from Dr Robert Logan, NHS National Specialty Adviser for Endoscopy and Screening who spoke about the clinical need for earlier diagnosis and the benefit to the NHS.

Finally our event host The Baroness Young of Old Scone called on everyone in the room to pledge their support to the campaign. She said:

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“I back Crohn’s & Colitis UK’s call for a new national pathway. This will help to end the postcode lottery in diagnosis, so that people can get the best possible outcome regardless of who they are, and where they live.”

Our work on early diagnosis has just begun. We will continue to work with policymakers and healthcare professionals so that we can build back confidence in primary care and ensure people get on a treatment plan rather than on an operating table. Read our policy brief to find out more.

How to get involved

We can’t achieve early diagnosis without your help. Whether you’ve been recently diagnosed, waiting for a diagnosis or know someone affected by Crohn’s and Colitis, we need you to get involved in any way you can. Share our symptom checker and back our call for early diagnosis today

Our National Chair Jackie Craissati speaking Baroness Young of Old Scone speaking