Northern Ireland lagging behind on bowel services
I have been living with Ulcerative Colitis, a form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) since 2017 and I am disappointed that IBD services in Northern Ireland are lagging behind the rest of the UK in supporting the new 2019 IBD Standards.
These new standards could transform the way care is delivered to people with IBD and hospitals in all of the five Trusts in Northern Ireland need to sit up and listen.
My IBD journey could have started so differently if the GP had the tools to diagnosis me quickly, something the new standards address.
My IBD nurse has been a godsend and it is important that everyone has access to them — the standards could make sure this happens.
I urge those hospitals who have yet to register for the IBD Benchmarking Tool to do so on the IBD UK website, and for people living with Crohn’s and Colitis to complete the IBD Patient Survey.
Together we can make a big difference in raising the profile of IBD in Northern Ireland.
Grace Edge, Lurgan