Inflammatory bowel disease

The gastroenterology and colorectal surgical teams at the RVI and Freeman Hospitals care for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The two main forms of IBD are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Crohn’s and colitis can affect people of almost any age – from children to older adults. People living with Crohn’s or colitis may need medications and/or surgery treatments. Our gastroenterologists and surgeons at the Newcastle Hospitals work closely together to provide the best combination of treatments.

Who you might meet

Patients visiting the RVI or Freeman Hospital may meet:

• Gastroenterology consultants (physicians) who specialise in treating patients with IBD – see list at the bottom of this page
• Inflammatory bowel disease nurse specialists “IBD nurses”
• Colorectal surgeons
• Research nurses
• Dietitians
• Stoma Nurse specialists
• Clinical psychologists

Clinics

Our teams know how important it is to be able to continually monitor patients and to be able to stay in touch. From 2020 we have introduced telephone clinics and our staff will offer this option to you when your next appointment is due.

Inflammatory bowel disease clinics take place throughout the week at both the RVI and the Freeman Hospital. There are consultant led clinics and also nurse led clinics.

We hold several specialised IBD clinics:

• Teenage and young adult clinics are held weekly for joint paediatric and adult transitional care
• Obstetric clinics to see patients with IBD who are planning pregnancy and during pregnancy alongside the maternity team
• Combined clinics with other specialties such as dermatology and rheumatology
• Capsule clinics for patients requiring specialised capsule Endoscopy

Where will you be seen?

Patients with IBD may be seen in clinics at the RVI or the Freeman Hospital. Most treatment will be given as outpatients, but some patients may need to stay in hospital to receive treatment.

We have two specialist Gastroenterology wards which specialise in different areas:

We also have specialist surgical wards at both hospitals:

If patients require day treatment care such as infusions, specialised blood tests or investigations they may attend:

Investigations and treatment

When patients come to our outpatient clinics we aim to see them as quickly as possible and make a diagnosis using the most appropriate and effective tests.

Many patients who come to us may require investigations to find out about the condition they are suffering from. These investigations might include:

• Blood tests
• Radiology examinations eg. ultrasound, MRI scans or CT scans
• Endoscopy procedures including colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy and gastroscopy including more specialised Endoscopy procedures such as colonic dilatation

Patients living with IBD often require treatment and there are a variety of drugs used:

Contact

For more details about IBD services, you can get in touch with our consultants who are listed at the bottom of this page. We also have three IBD nurses across both hospital sites: Nicola Dempsey, Emma Wharton and Sophie Young. They can be contacted via email: [email protected]

Please note: If you do contact one of our nurse specialists by email please specify the following to help us deal with your query as effectively as possible:

• your name
• date of birth
• consultant
• hospital number (if you have it)

Useful websites

Further information about IBD can be found on the following websites: