Our helpline service

What can we help with?

• We can help you understand Crohn's and Colitis 
• Listen and talk about living with IBD 
• Help you connect with others in the Crohn's and Colitis community 
• Give you contact details of specialist organisations 
• We can support you to live well with Crohn's or Colitis and provide up-to-date, evidence-based information 

Please be aware we’re not medically or legally trained. We cannot provide detailed financial or benefits advice or specialist emotional support.

If you need individual medical advice about your condition, your GP or IBD team will be best placed to help.

What to expect when you contact us

• In 2025 we responded to almost 8000 queries to the helpline across our different services.
• 98% of people who contacted us in 2025 and responded to our survey said they would recommend our helpline to others.

Who will answer my call or LiveChat?

A member of our trained and experienced helpline team. Between us we have many years of supporting people with Crohn’s or Colitis.  We will give you the time and space to talk through any questions.

What if English isn’t my preferred language?

If you need to talk in another language interpreters are available over the phone. When you call the helpline you’ll hear a short message. When we answer let us know, in English, the language you want to use.

We will then connect with an interpreter. This should only take a minute or two.

We cannot offer written translation for LiveChat or emails.

Our service provider employs fully qualified linguists who are capable of interpreting to a high standard. This is the current list of languages available.

You may also be interested in our All about Crohn’s and Colitis information which is available in English, Bengali, Gujarati, Polish, Punjabi, Urdu and Welsh.

Prefer to contact us by post?

Write to us at:

Helpline
Crohn's & Colitis UK
1 Bishop Square
Hatfield
AL10 9NE.

Where else can I go for support?

 If you’re feeling unwell

We know Crohn’s and Colitis are unpredictable and can flare-up at any time.

If you’re having trouble managing your symptoms your IBD team or GP will be able to give you individual medical advice. 

Many hospital services have advice lines, usually run by IBD Nurse Specialists. Our interactive map of services can help you search for your hospital.

If you need urgent medical advice you can call NHS 111. In Northern Ireland call Phone First. If you need emergency care call 999 or go to your nearest A&E.

If we’re closed

You may be able to find an answer to your question on our information pages. Our information can be viewed online or you can download pages to print or read later. 

Our patient education webinars bring together experts in IBD and people with Crohn's or Colitis to talk about topics that matter to our community. You can watch recordings of past webinars and sign up for any upcoming events at www.crohnsandcolitis.org.uk/webinars  

Feeling anxious or worried?

Living with Crohn’s or Colitis can be incredibly hard and the impact devastating. Around half of all people with Crohn’s or Colitis say it has affected their mental health in some way. 

Samaritans

If you think that talking to someone about how you’re feeling would be helpful, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123. They are there for you whatever you’re going through and are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

Mind

Mind have lots of resources on their website. You can call their Support line on 0300 102 1234, 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday (except for bank holidays).   

Shout

If you want support via text, contact SHOUT by texting 85258. This is a free 24/7 confidential text service. 

Disclaimer

We take your privacy seriously, and your data is always safe with Crohn’s & Colitis UK. Calls may be recorded, in-line with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Read our privacy and confidentiality policies.