Audit highlights varying service standards across UK hospital trusts
There are major regional gaps in care for those with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the UK, an audit of National IBD Service Standards has found.
The Royal College of Physicians, authors of the audit, singled out dietetic services and psychological support in NHS hospitals as particularly poor.
Toilet facilities for those with the two main types of IBD, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, are also inadequate, the audit of 87% of hospitals found.
In addition, only a third of Crohn's disease patients are visited by a dietitian during their hospital admission, while only one in ten hospitals offer psychological support for patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
The report concluded that there is still an 'unacceptable variation' in services across the UK and urged trusts to review how they had done in the audit and improve standards where needed.
Poor care in some hospitals and a lack of specialist care was first highlighted in 2006, and an audit of NHS care has prompted improvements, notably in the provision of more specialist nurses and gastroenterology wards, the latest analysis found.
Dr Ian Arnott, clinical lead of the audit, said: "Significant improvements have been made in what is a relatively short period of time but there is clearly more work to be done.
'The widespread acceptance and implementation of the IBD Standards are critical to ongoing quality improvement."
