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LBA5 Development of a successful multi-disciplinary gastroenterology clinic in a busy district general hospital

flgastro · 2026-06-29 · canonical JSON source

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Hospital A’s paediatric gastroenterology service has evolved considerably over the last 10 years. In 2015, the first paediatric consultant with gastro special interest was appointed. The service was run single-handed until the secondment of a community nurse, during the Covid pandemic, who up-skilled to become a Gastro Specialist Nurse, becoming permanent in 2021. In 2023 a second consultant was appointed. Dietetic contributions to the service have historically been ad hoc and delivered separately to the gastro clinic. However, we have been fortunate to have a trial allocation of an experienced Band 7 dietitian to work within our gastro clinic, concurrently with submission of a business case. This has enabled us to run weekly MDT-style clinics followed by a cases meeting. We believe this is a significant advancement of the quality of care provided, allowing us to assess and treat each child holistically with their own tailored management plan. 1 These clinics have been in place for approximately 8 months, and the authors were seeking to evaluate service users’ perception of the clinic experience.A Microsoft form survey was sent by text message to patients with IBD and other chronic gastro conditions. Despite a low response rate (30 returns), most of the cohort were IBD patients (93%), for whom we had a particular interest. Around a third of returns were by young people.The ratings were generally very positive. Our average scores for each question were all between 4 and 5, except for ease of accessing help during a flare with an average score of 3.96.In general, patients and their families feel we are approachable and feel listened to. Most feel that we explain clearly about symptoms and diagnosis and give a clear management plan. All but two felt they had the opportunity to ask questions when they had contact with the service. Children and Young People were treated with dignity and sensitivity.17 of 20 who saw the dietitian in the clinic found this helpful. Free-text comments support this.Patients and families are extremely positive about the support provided by the gastro specialist nurse. The majority of those with symptom flare, who were unable to access advice direct from our team, attended the emergency department which ideally should be avoided.There was one comment about time taken to decide plans with the tertiary centre. Delays can be related to several issues, including patient provision of calprotectin samples. We have an extremely close working relationship with our tertiary centre. We have full access to tertiary centre records; we share information appropriately, seek advice where needed and attend the fortnightly virtual tertiary MDT meetings. We have always had very positive feedback from the tertiary team and are perceived as capable in dealing with challenging IBD locally.Overall, in conclusion the survey demonstrates that the paediatric gastro service is generally well viewed by patients and families. There are, of course, always improvements to be made, particularly around ease of access for symptom flares. The recommendations are being instituted.Reference Kapasi R, Glatter J, Lamb CA, et al. Consensus standards of healthcare for adults and children with inflammatory bowel disease in the UK. Frontline Gastroenterology 2020;11:178–187.