Our IBD specialist nurses offer patients information, education and support about all aspects of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, including any treatments they may receive. Their aim is to help patients live well with IBD and manage their condition as successfully as possible. There are currently four (soon to be five) IBD nurse specialists at our trust, across both Conquest Hospital and Eastbourne DGH. They provide a variety of different services designed to keep people well while ensuring they receive timely and effective care and treatment.
Our specialist nurses run both telephone and face-to-face clinics. This may be to discuss a newly diagnosed or existing case of inflammatory bowel disease, medication, tests undergone or required for monitoring and treatment planning purposes. Some patients with stable disease or mild disease will be on our Patient Initiated Follow Up (PIFU) whereby appointments can be requested by the patient when they feel they need one.
The service sees special drugs called biologicals, such as Infliximab, given to patients by an infusion through a drip in the arm, and Adalimumab which is given via an injection usually administered at home. Our nurses will screen patients to see if they meet the criteria for these drugs. They will then apply to the local care board (ICB) for special funding, to pay for the treatment, before coordinating the infusions in our infusion unit at Eastbourne DGH. There is also a homecare delivery team, who can help patients receive some treatments at home. Two of our nurses specialise in biologics, who assist and support patients receiving biologic therapies.
The specialist nurse team, along with the gastroenterologists, will regularly review all patients who are having biologics, either at the time of the infusion, via the telephone, or in clinics, to ensure they are making a positive difference to their condition.
If you think you may have IBD but are not diagnosed, you will need to be investigated by your GP first. The IBD service is for patients with a confirmed diagnosis of IBD. For patients already under our care, you may either have face-to-face or telephone clinics, depending on your preference, clinician availability and clinical need. You may see or speak to different nurses each time, but we are a small team and all work together to provide patient care.
Patients who have a diagnosis and are receiving care from us can use our advice line service, which is open between 9am to 11.30am (Mob: 07967 591636). Calls will be triaged in order of clinical priority and responded to within 72 hours. On rare occasions, we may have a reduced service – a voicemail message will be left alerting you to this. Please ensure you listen to this message. We are currently running this as a live advice line; if we do not answer your call between these hours and there is no message about changes to service availability, it means we are on the phone to a patient already and you will need to call back. Our IBD coordinator may speak to you about the details of the problem you are calling about and be able to help you if your query is administrative. IBD nurse specialists will then review and respond to queries.
Please note: the advice line is not suitable for medical emergencies or queries that require immediate clinician input. Your GP, 111 or the Emergency Department should be your primary methods of accessing these types of query, or non IBD related enquiries.
