IBD nursing provision improved but most hospitals failing to meet revised UK IBD Standards

Although the number of adult services with some IBD nursing provision has increased from 56% to 78%, more than three quarters of services (79%) still fail to meet the levels set out in the IBD Standards, leading to services being suspended in the nurse’s absence.

There have been significant improvements in the quality of care for people with Crohn’s Disease and  Ulcerative Colitis since the UK IBD Standards were first issued four years ago, but IBD nurses,
gastroenterologists, GPs, surgeons, pharmacists, dietitians and patient organisations state that there is plenty of scope for improvement. To address these shortcomings and the major changes taking place in the NHS, revised UK IBD Standards have been launched this week.

Standards of care have risen significantly for children and adults since the UK IBD Audit’s examination of IBD services and care in 2006, which identified unacceptable variation in the quality of IBD care. The most recent Audit round in 2010 benchmarked hospital adherence to the IBD Standards for the first time, and found that the provision of dedicated gastrointestinal wards rose from 67% in 2006 (before the Standards were developed) to 90% in 2010.

The level of IBD Nurse Specialist provision has risen over the same period from 56% to 78%. IBD Nurses produce a considerable amount of activity and influence over a patient pathway (estimated 29,000 patient episodes per year by IBD Nurses). The role is highly complex, from providing rapid specialist advice to patients experiencing flare up, to complex drug management and monitoring. A sub-analysis of previous IBD audit rounds has demonstrated that IBD nursing can reduce hospital admissions by 8% due to the rescue work and vigilance, which are essential components of patient monitoring and safety.

Mark Sephton and Victoria Garrick, both IBD Nurses who are members of the IBD Standards Group 

on behalf of the Royal College of Nursing Gastrointestinal Forum, said, "We are pleased to see the 

progress that has been made in the quality and provision of IBD services and care since the IBD 

Standards were first developed. IBD patients are now twice as likely to see an IBD specialist nurse on 

admission and to receive the vital support that they need. However, it is clear that we still have a 

long way to go in ensuring that services have adequate provision for all their IBD patients. The RCN 

fully supports the revised IBD Standards, launched today, which will help commissioners, patients, 

hospitals and surgeries to ensure high quality services are delivered across the country.” 

What does your IBD Nurse mean to you? Do you have access to one where you are?

Read more about the IBD Standards at www.IBDStandards.co.uk