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University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust

Frequently Asked Questions

for patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

  1. How do I contact the IBD nurse at RBH?
    You can call our answerphone service on 0300 019 4191. Please leave a message with your contact details and we will call you back. You call also email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

  2. If I see the IBD nurse, will I still see my consultant?
    Yes, we work very closely as a team. If your treatment needs changing, then the IBD nurse will discuss it with your consultant. Your consultant and IBD nurse are both happy to talk through with you any aspects of your care.

  3. I have been well for over a year now. Can I stop my medication?
    You must first discuss this with your consultant or IBD nurse. It depends on the severity of your original diagnosis. When you are well we encourage you to take your medication to prevent a relapse, or flare.

  4. I have heard that probiotic drinks and supplements can help relieve the symptoms of my disease. Should I take them?
    We are happy to discuss this and any dietary advice in clinic. We will refer you to one of our specialist gastrointestinal dieticians if you would find it helpful.

  5. Can I meet other patients with the same condition I have?
    CCUK – the National Association for Colitis and Crohn’s Disease – provides information and support to people of all ages who have been diagnosed with IBD. They provide a national support line and there are local groups that meet across the country. CCUK also holds an annual meeting at our hospital for patients. If you wish to become a member, ask your IBD nurse for details, visit www.crohnsandcolitis.org.uk or telephone 0845 130 2233

  6. What if I want to talk to others and not my consultant or IBD Nurse?
    We have a very proactive IBD Patient Panel. We encourage patients to get involved to help us improve our service and the care we offer patients. You can contact the IBD Patient Panel Bournemouth at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

  7. What about a cure?
    Currently there are no life-long cures for Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Our aim is to keep you well and this may mean regular medications and surgery if appropriate.

Support for our patients

Talking to others who also live with IBD can be of great support to our patients.

We have a very proactive IBD Patient Panel. We encourage patients to get involved to help us improve our service and the care we offer patients. You can contact the IBD Patient Panel Bournemouth at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The National Association for Colitis and Crohn’s Disease - CCUK - provides information and support to people of all ages who have been diagnosed with IBD. There is a national support line and also local groups that meet across the country. CCUK also holds an annual meeting at our hospital for patients. If you wish to become a member, ask your IBD nurse for details, visit www.crohnsandcolitis.org.uk or telephone 0845 130 2233.

Useful websites:

IBD Helpdesk

The IBD Nurses have a voicemail service 0300 019 4191 where you can leave a message if you are suffering with a flare of your IBD or have an urgent issue concerning your treatment. Please leave your name, date of birth and hospital number with a brief message about your query. The voicemails are listened to every working day (excluding bank holidays and weekends) and are triaged appropriately. Your call will be answered within 2 working days. You can also contact us via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Inflammatory bowel disease outpatient service

When you arrive for your outpatient appointment you will be seen by a member of our specialist Inflammatory Bowel Disease Team.

This may be a registrar (doctor) or an experienced nurse. The consultant supervising your care is always available should the team need to discuss your care further.

Our outpatient appointments are booked up to three months in advance as the service is very busy. We aim to keep some appointments free for patients who suffer a sudden flare of their condition. In these cases, we aim to see you within a week but you may not be seen by the person you normally see.

What if I cannot make my appointment?

We appreciate there are many reasons why you might not be able to attend you appointment, but it is vital that you please let us know at least one week in advance. This is so that we can offer your appointment to another patient.

If you do not attend your outpatient appointment we are not able to prescribe the medication you may need for your inflammatory bowel disease. We will also be unable to make you another appointment until you have contacted us and you may have to wait a further three months.

How to contact us

You can email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call our helpline on 0300 019 4191

If possible, please contact us by email as we are not always able to answer the telephone helpline straight away. We do aim to respond to urgent emails or phone calls within one working day. We receive a large number of enquiries so please only get in touch about inflammatory bowel disease rather than other aspects of medicine.

For any general health-related matters, please contact your GP.

Inflammatory bowel disease team

Our team is part of the wider gastroenterology specialty. We look after people who commonly have a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis or Crohn's Disease, as well as some other conditions which have similar symptoms.

All of the consultants and senior doctors in the Gastroenterology Department have experience in inflammatory bowel disease but the lead members of the team are:

Consultants

  • Dr Simon Whiteoak – IBD Service Lead
  • Dr Suranga Dharmasiri
  • Dr Chris Hovell
  • Dr Simon McLaughlin
  • Dr Sean Weaver
  • Dr Kirsty Barnett (Staff Specialist Doctor)

IBD Nurses

  • Heather Johnson
  • Katharine Wade
  • Hannah Dewhurst

IBD Nurses Secretary

  • Andrew Lobban

We also work alongside other gastroenterology nurses, and dieticians as well as other specialist doctors and registrars training to become consultants in gastroenterology.

  1. Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
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