Policy and Campaigns Team 2022 Wrap Up

Since Cut the Crap: get checked for Crohn’s and Colitis campaign launched:

• Over 33,000 people have completed our online symptom checker and received advice on whether to contact their GP.
• We’ve had over 500 pieces of media coverage across national, regional and local media outlets for broadcast, online and print.

Since our early diagnosis campaign launched:

• Over 4,500 of our supporters have pledged their support to the campaign
• Over 90 politicians, health leaders and clinicians came to listen to what we had to say and support the launch of the campaign in Westminster, Cardiff Bay, and the Scottish Parliament.
• In Scotland, a third of MSPs backed a motion calling for early diagnosis of Crohn’s and Colitis.

Our Not Every Disability is Visible campaign:

• Has been recognised by Police Scotland, with 500 of our accessible toilet signs going up across police stations in Scotland.

Our Are You IN? employment campaign:

• Now has over 80 companies signed-up to support employees with invisible conditions and disabilities at work
• The campaign has received recognition from the government. The conditions and the campaign are now included in their Disability Confident employer resources, which 20,000 organisations are signed up to.

We’ve been influencing policy by:

• Communicating our latest research with politicians and health leaders
• Responding to consultations across the four nations, covering access to treatments, NHS recovery, mental health, endoscopy services, and new accessibility requirements for taxis, trains and stations. As a result three new medicines have been approved and in Wales the commitment to shared decision making was strengthened in the new biosimilars strategy.
• Raising 14 parliamentary questions asking about support for GPs in recognizing symptoms, the use of faecal calprotectin tests, psychological support, prescription charges, and what steps are being taken to improve diagnosis and treatments.
• Continuing to engage in the Disability Benefits Consortium, National Voices, Inequalities in Health Alliance Prescription Charges Coalition. Together we have successfully secured the UK government to commit to benefit uprating in line with the inflation, and the Westminster government to commit to developing a workforce plan. 

Thank you so much for all your support this year. We have some exciting plans to build on this work in 2023, with new research and tools to support you in using your voice to help create change.