Inflammatory Bowel Disease

The Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) team at the James Paget provides a comprehensive range of general and specialist clinical services for patients with a diagnosis of IBD.

This involves inpatient hospital care and outpatient clinics at the James Paget delivered by consultants and specialist nurses. We serve a population of around 230,000 people of which approximately 1,100 are IBD patients. This equates to 1:209 people in the community with IBD compared to a UK average of 1:123 people.

Inflammatory Bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammation (irritation) of the intestines that is not due to infection.

In IBD, the immune system overreacts and leads to injury of the intestines. There are two main types of IBD: Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Crohn’s disease can involve any part of the intestine from mouth to bottom. Ulcerative colitis usually involves only the large intestine (colon). 

Signs and symptoms of IBD may include: 

•    Diarrhoea or bloody bowel movements 
•    Weight loss or poor growth 
•    Unexplained fevers, joint pains, or mouth sores 
•    Fatigue/ decreased energy level 
•    Abdominal pain
•    Anaemia (low red blood cell count)
•    Change in appetite 
•    Nausea/ vomiting

You should note that IBD is different to IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).

The IBD team at our hospital comprises of members from different specialist backgrounds who work together to deliver the best possible care for our patients.

All of the doctors within the team have a special interest in IBD. They will discuss your condition with you and decide, along with you, what would be the most appropriate way to investigate and treat your IBD.

Consultant gastroenterologist
You will be allocated a named consultant gastroenterologist who will have overall responsibility for your IBD care and will keep you up-to-date with your progress, but you will not necessarily see them at each appointment.

The IBD nurse specialists are senior nurses with specialist training in IBD. They have a key role in assessing and monitoring patients on a range of drug therapies as well as providing expert advice and information on all aspects of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. They are also the first point of contact via the inflammatory bowel disease advice line and email service.

You may be referred for assessment and treatment to other members of the IBD multidisciplinary team including surgeons and dietitians.

Contact Information:
Outpatient: Reception on  01493 452451
Inpatient: IBD Nurses on 01493 453992
Ward 3: 01493 452003 

You can find out more about the different routine Endoscopy procedures via our Endoscopy page here.