Inflammatory Bowel Disease Service

The IBD team at UCLH is led by Consultant Gastroenterologists. We have several consultants who specialise in IBD: Dr Sara McCartney, Dr Stuart Bloom, Dr Ioanna Parisi, Dr Paul Harrow, Dr Farooq Rahman, Dr Edward Seward, Dr James Willsmore and Dr Misha Kabir. Additionally, we have Dr Charlie Murray and Dr Kelsey Jones who work with us in the adolescent IBD clinic. 

Our wider IBD team is made up of resident doctors (formerly junior doctors) and fellows, clinical nurse specialists (CNS), a specialist pharmacist, psychologists, dieticians and administrators.  

If you are diagnosed with IBD, you will be allocated a named consultant who will have responsibility for your care. However you may see different members of the team throughout your care, we work together as a team. 

Our specialist team work together to deliver patient care and meet regularly to discuss cases. We hold a Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) Meeting weekly. During this meeting we discuss cases with our wider IBD team which includes specialist surgeons, etc to help ensure the best course of action is advised.  

We work closely with our surgical colleagues as some patients with IBD may need surgery. If you are referred to a surgeon, this does not mean that surgery is inevitable but it can be helpful to explore other treatment options. Our consultant surgeons are: Mr Christopher Wood, Mr Alex Von-Roon, Mr James Crosbie and Ms Alice Murray, although you may see other surgical colleagues, including resident doctors, as well. We also have an IBD CNS who specialises in IBD surgery (Eleanor Rebello).

The IBD specialist nurses are experienced nurses who have a special interest in looking after patients with IBD. Working closely with you, they can help you to manage your disease.

Our CNS team is made up of 7 specialist nurses, some of whom work less than full time: Lisa Whitley, Heather Parker, Rachel Wimpoy, Ana Lisboa, Daniel Sequeria, Regina Frange and Eleanor Rebello (Surgical). We also have a CNS assistant, Jenny Rogers and a specialist pharmacist Jennie Toft. They can offer patients information about treatment and support for their IBD. Their aim is to help patients live well with IBD and manage their condition as successfully as possible.

They offer advice in clinic, by telephone, email or letter and can offer advice on changes to help you manage your condition. They may also refer you for further tests (including blood and stool tests, imaging and endoscopic procedures).

The IBD nurses and specialist pharmacist have their own clinic to give certain medication and monitor patients on certain treatments. They can provide you further information on the inflammatory bowel diseases, drugs and other treatments you may be prescribed.

The IBD CNS team and the specialist IBD pharmacist manage the IBD advice line in between other clinical duties and can be contacted by leaving a message on the answer phone or by email. Please remember to include your full name, date of birth or hospital number and a contact telephone number otherwise they may not be able to get back to you. The advice line is open Monday to Friday 09:00-17:00 (it is not open at the weekend or on bank holidays). You can expect a response within two working days, and this will be done on clinical priority. Please note that this is not an emergency service.

Telephone: 020 3447 5120 (voicemail)
Email: uclh.ibdadvice@nhs.net

The first contact with the team is usually in the outpatient clinic, having been referred by the GP. Where appropriate, we may ask you to come in for tests ahead of this outpatient appointment e.g. colonoscopy, imaging and blood tests. This is so that we have results ahead of the consultation so that we can organise the most appropriate treatment for you. For more information, please refer to our IBD patient information page.

MyChart is a patient portal which gives you the ability to view information about your care including appointments, letters and some test results. We may also send you questionnaires to complete to check in on your state of health. Please do not try to contact us via this app as we are currently unable to reply to these messages.

We strongly recommend that you sign up to MyChart as you will receive instant notifications regarding appointments and may be sent questionnaires relating to your condition via the app.

You can make changes to demographic details e.g. if you move house or get a new phone number by updating the “personal information” section of the app. It’s really important to keep us informed of any changes to your personal details. If you change GP, please inform us by emailing uclh.gimedicineenquiries@nhs.net

You will routinely receive a copy of any letters sent to your GP about you either via the MyChart app if you are signed up, or by post.

MyChart is an app which can be downloaded onto your phone via MyCare UCLH: University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

If you are having any issues accessing MyChart, please email uclh.mycare@nhs.net

Relapses (worsening) of your inflammatory bowel disease can be uncomfortable and distressing. If you do become unwell, we will always try to see you quickly in the clinic to find out what is happening and start effective treatment. We suggest that in the first instance, if you think you are experiencing a relapse, you review our flare card for guidance.

If you symptoms do not get better after the steps in our guide, you can contact the IBD Specialist Nurse team either by telephone (answer phone service) or email, to discuss your condition with them.

Telephone: 020 3447 5120 (voicemail)
Email: uclh.ibdadvice@nhs.net

You may wish to contact your GP, and of course if you are feeling very unwell ‘out of hours’ this is entirely appropriate, however during weekdays, and if you feel you are experiencing ‘early’ signs of relapse, it is worth contacting the IBD CNS team as they will be able to offer specific advice and arrange for you to be seen sooner in the clinic if needs be.

Please note that the IBD advice line is not an emergency service so is not suitable for medical emergencies or queries that require immediate medical attention. You should contact your GP, 111 or attend your local A&E department if you need urgent medical assistance. You do not need our permission to attend A&E.

When you are experiencing a flare, you may be able to adjust your medication without contacting us. The dose for mesalazine based medicines can be increased during a flare. There are a number of different brands of mesalazine and each has a different mechanism, as they are released differently in the bowel.

DO NOT increase other medications you may be taking, such as azathioprine, mercaptopurine or methotrexate or any biologic medications.

Key: 

• g – grams 
• mg – milligram 

If symptoms settle using ‘flare dose’ then after six to eight weeks reduce back to ‘maintenance dose’. 

For rectal therapy medications such as mesalazine suppositories and enemas, it is safe to start these every night for two weeks to help improve symptoms. If symptoms do not improve within one to two weeks, please contact your IBD nurse via the advice line.

Please refer to our flare card for further information on how to manage your symptoms during a flare.

The hospital policy is for two-week supply of new medications to be given to patients. If you are prescribed new medication from the IBD team, except in the case of a few less common drugs, the hospital policy is that you will need to get a repeat prescription from your GP. As it is likely you will have several prescriptions throughout the course of a year, it is worth thinking about buying a prepayment certificate (PPC) to reduce the cost, especially if you are on more than one drug and you pay for your prescriptions. You can discuss the PPC with any pharmacist or at any pharmacy. Once you turn 18 you will have to pay prescription charges, even if you are in university.

The main University College Hospital pharmacy (Rowlands) is located on the ground floor of UCH near the main entrance. Please visit the website to see opening times and contact details – Pharmacy and medicines management : University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

If you have been given a diagnosis of IBD, you should avoid taking anti-inflammatory painkillers (known as ‘NSAIDs’ – such as aspirin, ibuprofen, Nurofen, naproxen or Voltarol) as these can trigger relapses. Take paracetamol instead or paracetamol / codeine combination if stronger pain relief is required although codeine can lead to constipation and so should be taken with caution.

It should be clear following your consultation whether your treatment should stop or continue as longer-term maintenance. You can ask in your clinic appointment about this but if this is not clear please review your letter from clinic, discuss with the GP or contact the IBD advice line.

If the medication prescribed for you from the clinic runs out, you should contact your GP for subsequent repeat prescriptions. Please contact your GP surgery to arrange these.

Research is vital to improve the care that we can provide for our patients. You can help improve healthcare by taking part in research studies or clinical trials at UCLH. During your appointment, ask your IBD team about research studies you could be eligible to join. You may be contacted about studies by our research team (uclh.ibdresearch@nhs.net).

To enable us to provide a quick response when you need it most (such as when you are experiencing a flare), we have developed these Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

We kindly ask you to read through these before contacting the advice line as you may find the answer to your question here. We cover questions to do with booking blood tests, endoscopy and imaging procedures, using MyChart and many more common queries.  

If, after reading these FAQs, you still need help with a specific question, please contact us and we will endeavour to respond. We hope this will improve our ability to answer clinical questions more efficiently and provide you with a better service. 

For queries related to other departments e.g. endoscopy, imaging or with regards to changing an appointment, please contact the relevant department directly. Relevant contact details can be found throughout this document.  

Please note that if you contact the IBD advice line and the answer to your question is available here, the IBD advice line will not respond. 

If you are experiencing a flare, you can refer to our flare guide in the first instance.

I have been referred into the Inflammatory Bowel Disease service but am yet to hear back. What should I do?

We have a central booking team who look after new patient referrals. You can contact them via 020 3447 9393 to follow up on the status of your referral.  

Sometimes we triage patients for a Rapid Access Pathway (RAS). This means that a clinician will arrange diagnostic tests for you before you see them in clinic. If this is the case, you will receive a letter from us informing you of the tests you need. These tests will then be arranged by the diagnostic departments e.g. endoscopy and imaging.  

I’ve been referred to a different department/team/specialty but haven’t heard back yet. What should I do?

If you have been referred to a different specialty within UCLH e.g. gynaecology, dermatology etc, either by us or by your GP, please contact the relevant department via the contacts provided on your correspondence from them. If you have not heard from them yet, please ask to be transferred to the relevant team via hospital switchboard (0845 155 5000 or 020 3456 7890). We are unable to help you with queries regarding referrals that are not to the IBD team.

I have been asked to have a blood test? Where can I do this?

You may be asked to do blood tests in between appointments to monitor for your IBD or to ensure that medication for your IBD can be safely continued. This is to make sure that the treatments are not causing any unwanted problems to other areas of the body, such as liver, kidneys and bone marrow.

If your blood tests have been organised by the hospital, you can book your blood test via the Swiftqueue platform – Online Appointment Healthcare Platform | Swiftqueue. You can also open Swiftqueue directly from your MyChart app.

If you have been asked to contact the IBD advice line before attending for your blood test, please wait for their response before attending.

You may get a reply from this booking saying you need to bring a letter from your GP, this is not needed as requests are electronically added.

For more information on arranging your blood test, please visit the following website – Contact us: University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The ‘Phlebotomy’ (blood taking) department is on the first floor of the main University College Hospital building (235 Euston Road). You should only book a blood test if you are told that you need one by a member of our clinical team.  

If you are under 16, you cannot organise a blood test via the above route. Instead, you need to go to the outpatient department on the Lower Ground floor of the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing.  

Your GP may do routine blood tests for you. If this is the case, please speak directly to your GP practice about this. Please note that we cannot routinely see your blood test results if you have them with your GP. We are also unable to view your results via the NHS app. Some GP practices located close to UCLH share their results with us. If your GP is not based near to UCLH, we are unable to view these results. In such case we ask that you forward your blood results to uclh.gimedicineenquiries@nhs.net when you receive them. 

I’ve been asked to provide a stool sample, how do I do this?

You may have been asked to provide a stool sample (also referred to as faecal calprotectin test). The most common reasons to check a stool sample is to check for any infection or inflammation. If these have been requested for you, a stool pot can be collected at clinic F, H, J or K reception in the outpatient department Monday to Friday 10:00-1600. This is on the 1st floor of University College Hospital (235 Euston Rd, London NW1 2BU). Please ask the main reception which clinic you should collect the pot from on the day.  

You will need to ask the staff for a stool sample pot and to print out a label for the test that has been requested, giving your name and hospital number. You can then drop this pot with sample off in the sluice room (near clinic G) between 10:00-16:00. Please ensure the label is stuck on the sample pot, if this is not done it will not be processed.  

Your test kit should include: a clean, sealable container for the stool sample and a sampling stick built into the lid. To complete your test, you should pass stool into a clean, dry container. Do not collect the sample from the toilet bowl, as water or cleaning agents can affect results. Use the sampling stick to take a small amount of stool and then insert the stick back into the container and seal it tightly.  

What happens if I’m booked for an imaging scan?

If an imaging scan has been requested for you e.g. Ultrasound, MRI, CT Colonography etc., then you will be contacted regarding an appointment by the imaging department with details of the appointment. They will inform you about preparation required before the test (if any). The imaging team aim to book routine patients within 6 weeks. A follow up appointment in clinic will usually be arranged shortly afterwards to discuss the results. 

If you have any questions about your scan or preparation required then please contact the imaging team directly via 020 3447 9010.  

What happens if I’m booked for an endoscopy? And what should l do if I haven’t received my bowel preparation?

If an endoscopy (either gastroscopy for the upper gut or colonoscopy or flexi sigmoidoscopy for the lower bowel) is requested, you will be contacted by the endoscopy department.

The endoscopy team will speak to you about preparation in advance of the appointment and will send you bowel preparation via post. Please contact the endoscopy team using the details below if you do not receive your bowel preparation ahead of your appointment.

The endoscopy team aim to book routine patients within 6 weeks.

If you have not received your bowel preparation or you have any questions about the preparation instructions, you can contact the endoscopy admin team via 020 3456 7022 or uclh.endoscopy@nhs.net. 

I have been referred for a test under the GI Physiology/Functional Gastroenterology Team e.g. breath test. How do I do this?

If you have been referred for tests such as a breath test, anorectal physiology or biofeedback, then this is done by the GI Physiology Team. They have their own patient information leaflets available on their website for each of their tests – Gastrointestinal physiology: University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. You can also contact their administration team via 020 3456 2060 or uclh.giphysiology@nhs.net.

When should I expect a response from the IBD advice line?

We will aim to respond to your query within two working days. Please note that we respond based on clinical priority. The IBD CNS team work Monday to Friday from 09:00–17:00.  

How do I get my results?

Blood tests, imaging reports and endoscopy reports are available to see via the MyChart app. Below show the timeframes in which you can expect to receive these results via the app:  

Blood tests – up to 4 weeks after you have had your blood test.

Imaging reports – between 6–8 weeks after your procedure.

Endoscopy procedures – within 24 hours of your procedure.

Video capsule endoscopy reports – these reports are not released via MyCare. It can take up to 3 weeks for routine video capsule reports to be completed.

Biopsies from endoscopy procedures – these are not released via MyCare. It can take up to 3 weeks for routine biopsies to be reported.

The clinician who arranged the tests will review them and contact you by letter or phone if they have any significant concerns. Otherwise, these results can usually be discussed with you at your next clinic visit.

Endoscopy results

The results of any endoscopy procedure will usually be discussed with you briefly before you leave the Endoscopy department. The results of biopsies taken at the time of the endoscopy will be reviewed once available but you would generally only be contacted if there is something significant which requires action. 

Capsule endoscopy results

These results will not be available for several weeks after the test. The results are reviewed once available and you will be contacted directly if there are any concerns. If there is a specific reason why you would like a copy of the result then please contact the endoscopy team via uclh.endoscopy@nhs.net. 

X-ray, MRI and other results

The majority of scan results can be discussed with you at your next clinic visit and do not require you to be contacted in the interim. The results of scans are reviewed once available and you will be contacted directly if there are any concerns. If there is a specific reason why you would like a copy of the result then please contact the admin team via uclh.gimedicineenquiries@nhs.net.

If you require any reports in other formats than listed above, then please contact uclh.gimedicineenquiries@nhs.net.

How can I reduce my chance of having a flare-up?

Take your medication as prescribed and make sure you get repeat supplies in good time. Do not stop just because you feel better as it is the medication that is keeping you well: take the course of treatment as prescribed and ensure you request a repeat prescription in good time.  

Once you are more familiar with the treatment options and have seen how we tend to adjust these, you may be willing to manage some of the treatment adjustments yourself, but if in doubt ask. Such self-management can apply to restarting oral mesalazine (for example Octasa or Pentasa) or topical enema or suppository medications, but not oral steroids (prednisolone) or immunosuppressants such as azathioprine which always require medical supervision. 

Avoid situations which are likely to lead to gastrointestinal infections, i.e. store, prepare and cook food appropriately. Maintain good hand hygiene if family members are affected by gastroenteritis (soap and water is more effective than alcohol gel). 

How do I arrange a prescription?

Most routine medicines for IBD such as mesalazine, azathioprine (if you have been on this for three months or longer), iron or vitamin replacement should be prescribed by your GP. We are unable to prescribe medicines your GP is able to prescribe and cannot prescribe treatments which are not for your IBD.

Please make sure your blood tests are always up-to-date to avoid any delays to your prescription. These will normally need to be done at least every four months once stable on the treatment (Patients stable on oral mesalazine therapy only can have blood tests annually).

If we have recently started you on azathioprine or mercaptopurine, we will normally carry on your prescriptions until we arrange for your GP to do this (normally for about 3 months). To arrange a further prescription in these instances please ensure your blood monitoring is up-to-date, and that you confirm the dose you are taking along with any drug allergies.

Not all of our nurse specialists are able to prescribe and we may need to refer you to your consultant’s administrative coordinator. Therefore, please make sure you allow at least five working days to arrange a prescription to prevent you running out of medicine.

If you are worried about side effects of your IBD medicines, or feel you need to change or adjust current treatments, for instance because you are having a flare, please contact us via:

Telephone: 020 3447 5120 (voicemail) 
Email: uclh.ibdadvice@nhs.net

What do I do when the medication prescribed from the clinic runs out?

It should be clear following your consultation whether your treatment should stop or continue as longer-term maintenance. You can ask in your clinic appointment about this but if this is not clear please review your letter from clinic, discuss with the GP or contact the IBD advice line.

The initial prescription may be given in clinic but subsequent repeat prescriptions should be obtained from your GP. Please contact your GP surgery to arrange these.

How do I get more injections delivered?

Many of our patients have injections delivered to their home address. If this service is set up for you and you are running low on stock, please contact the homecare delivery company in the first instance (details below). We send them a large prescription for which they can do multiple deliveries. If you have contacted the homecare company and they do not have a delivery for you please contact us via the advice line.  

PHP: Contact Us 
Sciensus: Sciensus contact number - Sciensus 
Healthnet: Contact Us – HealthNet Homecare

How can I best manage my diet in line with my IBD diagnosis?

During remission you should aim to follow a healthy, balanced diet which contains fruit and vegetables, carbohydrate and protein with some dairy (to help with calcium intake) and small amounts of fats. Heavily processed foods for example: fizzy drinks, confectionary, convenience style foods and fast-food should be limited. When in remission there are no special diets or foods to avoid. If you have ongoing bowel symptoms despite being in remission, we sometimes use exclusion diets to identify possible food intolerances triggering ‘functional’ type symptoms.

We have a dietician who can support you with dietary advice while you are under our care. If you need to make any changes to your appointment with the dietetics team, please contact the Dietician via uclh.dietitiansdept@nhs.net or 020 3447 9289. 

For more information, please see our patient information pages. There is one for managing your diet during a flare and one for managing your diet during remission. 

I plan to travel. Do I need to take any precautions?

If you are travelling away from home, please ensure you are prepared for this journey and have checked you have enough medication to last whilst you are away. It is useful to travel with medication in your hand luggage to reduce the risk of it being lost.  

We would recommend travel insurance for all of our patients and remind you that you will need to inform your insurance company about your IBD diagnosis.  

If you are travelling with injectable biologic medication (such as Ustekinumab or adalimumab), you will need to ensure that you transport this safely. Some of this medication can be left out of the fridge but please check with the homecare team who deliver your medication as different biologics have different requirements.  

If you need to keep your medication at a certain fridge temperature, you can obtain a variety of useful cooling travel wallets from various online retailers. Please note that travel with your injections is taken at your own risk. If the injections are exposed to temperatures outside of the recommended storage conditions whilst travelling (2 to 8 degrees Celsius) we cannot automatically replace the injections. 

If you need a travel letter to carry medications, your homecare delivery company can send you a letter for travel, please do not ask the IBD team to do this.  

For more information, please visit the Crohn’s and Colitis UK website – Travelling with Crohn's or Colitis. There is also an IBD passport that provides useful information to help manage your condition: IBD Passport – Travel Advice for Individuals with IBD.  

I am pregnant or planning parenthood. Do I need to change my treatment?

Questions around pregnancy or pregnancy planning can be discussed in your next clinic appointment. If your query cannot wait until this time please contact the IBD nurses.

If you find out you are pregnant and you have a diagnosis of IBD, please let us know via the advice line so we can update your records and plan when we should review you.

We run specialist combined IBD and Pregnancy clinic at UCLH, for any IBD patient who is pregnant. This is run by Professor David Williams (Consultant in Maternal Medicine), Dr Sara McCartney, Dr Paul Harrow and Heather Parker IBD CNS.

You can access further information at: Crohn’s and Colitis UK – Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

What psychological support is available?

Many people with IBD frequently experience psychological challenges associated with managing the disease, adjustment and coping related to major health challenges, relationship and sexual difficulties, shame and embarrassment about symptoms, medication side effects and potential for surgeries with body-image altering consequences. 

We have a Clinical Psychologist who can support you with mental health concerns related to your IBD diagnosis while you are under our care. 

The Clinical Psychologist works within a small team that includes a trainee Psychologist, Specialist Clinical Nurses, and a Psychiatrist. Please note that most team members work less than full time. 

If you are referred to the Adult Gastroenterology Psychology Team, they will guide you through the treatment journey - from referral and assessment, to receiving psychological support, or planning care with other services if appropriate. 

The aim of our service is to work with you to enhance quality of life, coping and resilience, improve symptom management, and reduce stigma. We work jointly with nursing and medical staff to ensure your IBD care is holistic. 

The Adult Gastroenterology Psychology Team is an outpatient service. They offer short-term individual and group sessions, both remotely and face-to-face. If you need to make any changes to your appointment, please contact the IBD admin team via uclh.gimedicineenquiries@nhs.net or 020 3456 2060 (select option 1). 

Please note that the psychology service is not an emergency service. 

What do I do in an emergency?

The IBD advice line is not an emergency service. If you have an urgent clinical need you should contact NHS 111 or your GP services. If you need immediate medical care you should attend your local Emergency Department (A&E). 

How do I book/change/cancel or check an appointment?

Please email uclh.gimedicineenquiries@nhs.net to inform us that you cannot attend your appointment. Alternatively, you can call us on 020 3456 2060.  

If you would like to request a change to your appointment e.g. from face-to-face or telephony, please use the contact details above. Please note that it may not always be possible to accommodate requested changes.  

What happens if I miss an appointment? 

Please note that if you miss your appointment without informing us beforehand, you may receive a letter to say you have been discharged from our IBD service. We normally allow patients to cancel an appointment twice before discharging patients back to the care of their GP (this includes not attending an appointment without telling us in advance). If this happens, you will be asked to arrange a new GP referral back into the service. 

If you have missed an appointment and need to get in touch with us, please contact the admin team via uclh.gimedicineenquiries@nhs.net or call us on 0203 456 2060. 

How do I arrange a medical letter from my gastroenterologist or get a copy of my IBD clinic letter?

If you are signed up to the MyChart app, you should be able to see a copy of your clinic letter on there.

If you need a letter from the doctors in charge of your care, please contact the gastroenterology admin team via uclh.gimedicineenquiries@nhs.net.

Please note that we are unable to provide a ‘sick note’ for your work or university. Only a GP can provide this.

What should I do if I have an appointment but want to be seen sooner?

We understand that there are times when you want to be seen sooner than the appointment we have given you. If this is the case, please email uclh.gimedicineenquiries@nhs.net or call us on 0203 456 2060 to inform us of this. We will put you onto a short notice cancellation list in case other patients cancel their appointments. Please note we cannot guarantee that we will be able to see you sooner but if this is possible, it may mean that we offer you a sooner appointment at short notice. If you have already been seen in the IBD clinic and are not feeling well as a result of your IBD (i.e. not another condition), then please contact the IBD CNS team. 

How do I contact the secretarial teams?

To contact the medical secretaries in the gastroenterology (medical) team please contact uclh.gimedicineenquiries@nhs.net or us on 020 3456 2060.

How do I inform the hospital of a change of address/phone number/GP?

You can make changes to most demographic details e.g. if you move house or get a new phone number by updating the “personal information” section of the MyChart app.  

If you change GP, please inform us by emailing uclh.gimedicineenquiries@nhs.net, including your hospital number (MRN) or NHS number and the details of your new GP.  

Is there any other support available?

A diagnosis of IBD can carry a lot of uncertainty, such as around outcomes, disease pattern, treatment effectiveness and disease flares. It is therefore quite normal at times to feel anxious, worried or low in mood. Having good coping mechanisms, such as a reliable support network, will help.  

We have a Clinical Psychologist who can support you with mental health concerns related to your IBD diagnosis while you are under our care. For further information, please refer to the section “What psychological support is available?” above.  

You can find useful information and support options on the Crohn’s and Colitis UK charity website: 

Crohn’s and Colitis UK 
Information Line: 0300 222 5700 

Live chat available via the website.

CCUK brings together people of all ages who have Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn’s Disease, their families and the health professionals involved in their care. The organisation provides: 

• support through 70 groups, Contact Support Line and individual welfare grants
• an information service by telephone and email
• a range of Information sheets on specific topics, including benefits.

They have a range of video information available to help you navigate IBD. We have included a summary of these below:

• Living with IBD – Coming to terms
• Living with IBD – Talking to other people
• Living with IBD – Staying well
• Transition to adult care
• Planning for a baby
• Pregnancy with IBD
• Motherhood with IBD
• What are Crohn's and Colitis?
• 10 tips for Managing Fatigue
• It takes guts to talk about Crohn's and Colitis 
• The symptoms of Crohn's and Colitis  
• Telling My Friends about my Crohn's or Colitis 
• Schooling with Crohn's and Colitis  
• Leaving Home – University with Crohn's and Colitis  
• Relationships with Crohn's and Colitis  
• Telling People about your Crohn's and Colitis 
• Living with IBD: Going Out 
• Being Active with Crohn's or Colitis  
• Types of surgery for Colitis  
• Types of surgery for Crohn's 
• Talking about Crohn's and Colitis at work 
• IBD and your diet

Guts UK – the national charity for the digestive system (formerly known as Digestive Disorders Foundation) also has support resources available, including information on health and lifestyle and free “can’t wait cards” for anyone living with a digestive condition who need to use the toilet urgently.

• Hospital switchboard: 020 3456 7890 or 0845 155 5000 
• Central booking team (for new appointments): 020 3447 9393  
• IBD Clinical Nurse Specialist team: 020 3447 5120 (voicemail) 
• Outpatient Appointments: 020 3447 9393 
• Endoscopy Appointments: 020 3456 7022 
• Imaging Appointments: 020 3447 9010 
• PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service): 0203 447 3042 – uclh.pals@nhs.net 
• Dietician: 020 3447 9289 – uclh.dietitiansdept@nhs.net
• GI Medicine Admin Team: 020 3456 2060 – Select option 1 for IBD
• GI Surgery Admin Team: 020 3456 2061
• IBD Administrator: 0203 447 7480 (Kellie Willmore)