Crohn's and Colitis UK share updated Inflammatory Bowel Disease Standards
A new set of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Standards, based on the experiences of 26,000 patients, has been published. The updated standards have been developed by the IBD UK Alliance – a partnership of 16 professional bodies, royal colleges and patient organisations hosted by Crohn's and Colitis UK. The PIF member said the standards provide a framework for what high quality should look like at every point of a patient’s journey.
Crohn's and Colitis UK describe the standards as "deliberately aspirational, describing the quality of care services should aim for". The charity added: "We encourage IBD services across the UK to review and apply the 2026 Standards where possible. This will help ensure that people with Crohn’s and Colitis are receiving consistent, excellent care, wherever they live."
Standards support consistency
All 59 standards from the 2019 IBD Standards were reviewed by a working group consisting of: four people with lived experience, five consultant gastroenterologists, one paediatric gastroenterologist, two colorectal surgeons, one radiologist, four IBD Nurse Specialists, two pharmacists, two dietitians, and a clinical psychologist. There are 60 Standards in 2026. Six standards remain unchanged from 2019, with 46 amended, and six entirely new standards added. There were also seven standards deleted from the 2019 version.
There are seven sections of the standards:
- The IBD service.
- Pre-diagnosis.
- Newly diagnosed.
- Flare management.
- Surgery.
- Inpatient care.
- Ongoing care and monitoring.
Hub of resources to help meet standards
With the standards updated, Crohn's and Colitis UK said it is now the IBD UK Alliance’s priority to create a hub of resources for IBD services. All resources will be matched directly to at least one statement from the standards. Resources will include practical tools to be used by healthcare professionals, case studies of best practice, and signposting to existing information, research, e-learning, podcasts, webinars and beyond.
Read more about the new standards on the Crohn's and Colitis website here.