Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) medical support for and (b) access to medical support for people with colitis in Leeds Central and Headingley constituency.

It is the responsibility of the NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) to meet the needs of patients diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, in the Leeds Central and Headingly constituency, supported by national improvement programmes such as Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) and NHS RightCare. These programmes provide evidence-based tools and guidance to reduce unwarranted variation and improve patient outcomes.

In November 2025, GIRFT published a new handbook, Optimising care for patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, in addition to an updated IBD pathway. This handbook provides practical advice, key actions, and examples of innovative practices to improve the care of National Health Service patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Gastroenterology is a top priority for reform in the Elective Reform Plan. Specific action in gastroenterology includes developing an integrated pathway across primary, community, and secondary care for common gastroenterology conditions. We will also drive rapid adoption of remote monitoring in appropriate gastroenterology pathways.

We are also introducing an ‘online hospital’ through NHS Online. This will give people on certain pathways the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home, providing additional appointments to cut waiting times. IBD is amongst nine initial conditions for online referrals from 2027.