Efficient and cost-effective diagnosis of IBD: Now and the future

Every day, we hear from supporters who have spent years waiting: struggling to get stool tests, facing long delays for scopes, and enduring even longer waits for treatment. Many are living with distressing, often embarrassing symptoms, and the anxiety that comes with them, all while still awaiting answers. 

We know that delays in diagnosis may lead to disease progression, more emergency surgeries, and increased pressure on already stretched NHS resources. 

That’s why we partnered with KPMG to host a roundtable with leading doctors, IBD nurses, pharmaceutical companies, and a pharmacy provider - to explore how we can work together to reduce delays and improve patient experiences. This built on our previous collaboration-, What’s Up With My Gut? - which launched a new primary care diagnostic pathway for lower gastrointestinal disease last year. 

Today’s publication brings together practical next steps and examples of good practice from across the UK. 

The roundtable concluded that by implementing the Lower Gastrointestinal Pathway, and adapting care models , such as  one-stop clinics and AI-driven triage, the NHS can deliver faster, more consistent, and person-centred care for people living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. 

Five key steps were identified to make this a reality: 

1. Promote consistent, national adoption of the Lower GI Pathway empowering patients to advocate for themselves and supporting GPs with education on specialist conditions like Crohn’s and Colitis. 
   
   
2. Embed incentives and governance within local health systems to adopt the Lower GI Pathway and improve referrals to secondary care. With the Government confirming the expansion of the Advice and Guidance scheme for IBS, GPs must be equally supported and incentivised to use the pathway to carry out the right investigations, thereby ensuring no one with IBD faces unnecessary delays. 
   
   
3. Expand access to Faecal Calprotectin testing by working with NHS England to eliminate local variation, the so-called “postcode lottery”. This includes enabling nurses and dietitians to use the test and piloting direct-to-consumer access through community pharmacies. 
   
   
4. Invest in digital infrastructure including universal Electronic Patient Records, shared care systems, and AI-powered tools like chatbots to streamline communication between primary and secondary care. 
   
   
5. Foster partnerships with the voluntary sector, and  pharmaceutical and technology companies to upskill the workforce and scale up local innovations that benefit patients.