The MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough has raised concerns about variations in care for people living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) during Prime Minister's Questions this week.
Liberal Democrat MP Tom Gordon used the Commons session to call for improvements to IBD services, drawing on his own experience of living with ulcerative colitis.
Addressing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Mr Gordon said he waited more than a decade for a diagnosis and highlighted what he described as a "postcode lottery" in access to care for patients across the country.
He called for the implementation of the IBD Standard, a framework designed to support high-quality care for people with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Mr Gordon also asked the government to consider appointing a National Clinical Lead for IBD to help coordinate and improve services.
In response, Sir Keir thanked Mr Gordon for sharing his personal experience and congratulated him on recently completing the London Marathon in support of Crohn’s & Colitis UK.
The Prime Minister acknowledged the need for consistency in care and said he would provide further details on the issue.
Following the exchange, Mr Gordon said:
“I welcome the PM’s warm words but the IBD community needs action, not promises.
“As someone with lived experience as a patient, and a professional background in health policy, I've listened to the clinicians. They are clear: we need a National Clinical Lead to raise the bar.
“The IBD community has shown me enormous support. The least I can do is fight for consistent, high-quality care everywhere in the country.
“IBD Alliance UK have done vital work on this. Their 2026 framework should be applied as standard, and I will keep pushing until it is.”
Inflammatory Bowel Disease is an umbrella term primarily covering Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, long-term conditions that cause inflammation of the digestive system.
The IBD Standard is a framework developed by healthcare professionals and patient organisations to help improve the quality and consistency of care across the UK.
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