It brings together information from surveys completed by hundreds of healthcare professionals and thousands of people across the UK living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). As Chair of IBD UK and Chief Executive of Crohn’s & Colitis UK, I am incredibly excited by the unique approach that has been taken – with patients and clinicians working together as partners in formulating service standards and assessing care against them.
Behind the data collected, there are both inspiring and heart-breaking stories. Despite improvements in care in recent years, the continued commitment of staff and an increased focus across the four nations, the surveys tell a story of IBD care that wasn’t meeting the growing need prior to the coronavirus pandemic. They reveal high levels of emergency care and a lack of proactive, preventative care. It is taking too long for people with IBD to get diagnosed, and they are not receiving the information and support they need to cope with their condition. They are not able to get specialist treatment and care quickly enough, leading to high levels of emergency hospital admissions and potentially avoidable flares. This will be a familiar picture for many. Patients and clinicians know what is wrong and they want to put it right together.
The impact of the pandemic has exacerbated these pre-existing issues and will take considerable time to clear. As waiting lists are tackled, it is critical that people with IBD are prioritised properly and not pushed to the back of the queue. The consequences of a failure to do so would be profound for those facing potential life-changing complications.
