Accessing the right support and treatments at the right time

What are we doing to change this? 

Advice Lines 

Most specialist hospital services run an IBD advice line for queries and concerns, which is usually supported by an IBD nurse specialist. We provide advice line training to help IBD nurse specialists run these effectively.  

Find the details of your local IBD advice line through our map 

Flare card

We have co-designed a flare card, as part of a project in Scotland, and flare pathways to streamline access from GPs to specialists. 

Access to treatments 

Medicines are a vital part of managing and treating the symptoms of Crohn’s and Colitis. Therefore, being able to access the widest and most innovative range of evidence-based drug treatments and new technologies is important 

We are working to remove barriers that prevent people with Crohn’s and Colitis from accessing the most effective treatments needed to keep well with Crohn’s or Colitis.   

Find out more about our work to increase access to drugs and treatments. 

We also work with the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland (ACPGBI) as part of IBD UK to ensure that surgery for Crohn’s and Colitis is prioritised appropriately, based on clinical need.  

Read the ACPGBI guidance on management of patients with IBD requiring surgical intervention during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

We are also members of the advisory group for the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) study into surgery for Crohn’s Disease. 

Get Involved 

We believe it’s fundamental that people with Crohn’s and Colitis are involved in the decisions about how healthcare is delivered - no project or service will be as good as it could be without the input of people affected by the conditions.