To ask the Minister of Health what plans and guidelines his Department is bringing forward to improve and speed up the diagnosis of Crohn’s Disease and Colitis.

Crohns and colitis are types of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Patients with suspected IBD are referred to gastroenterology outpatients, mainly from primary care, and if further investigation is required they are referred for an endoscopy procedure. Diagnosis of IBD is supported by gastroenterology primary care pathways and laboratory tests, specifically calprotectin testing. In recent years these initiatives have enabled clinicians to prioritise outpatient referrals for IBD and better manage patients who are already undergoing treatment for IBD.

Over the last decade, the Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) has annually increased funding to ensure all IBD patients assessed as eligible for National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) approved biologic technologies are able to access these medicines within a waiting time of 13 weeks. IBD patients receiving biologic treatments have increased from 800 in 2014/15 to almost 2,500 in 2019/20. The baseline level of investment for IBD therapies and infrastructure is now around £11m. Investment will continue consistent with growth in demand, including new NICE recommended technologies for IBD treatments.

The HSCB has also recognised the need for investment in infrastructure to support the delivery of care for IBD. The development of service capacity is facilitated through regular meetings of the biologics sub-group for IBD with HSCB, the Public Health Agency (PHA) and Trust clinical and management teams.