We know that the pandemic was a difficult time for many across our community, with disruption to care, uncertainty about shielding and vaccines, and fear of hospitalisation.
On the 30 April, we shared your experiences with the Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry and set out lessons that the Scottish Government and health leaders should learn to reduce harm in any future public health emergency.
We shared how there was considerable confusion, particularly around shielding and vaccine eligibility, due to the lack of awareness about the conditions and initial lack of information for how people living with Crohn’s or Colitis could be affected by the pandemic. We highlighted the impact this had on people’s mental health, as well as how care was disrupted with many people unable to reach their IBD team because staff were redeployed to support on Covid wards.
We called for governments and health leaders to:
- Recognise charities as trusted sources of information, and work in partnership to help reduce confusion and ensure people are not left behind.
- Ensure there is accurate data of those diagnosed with Crohn’s or Colitis or on immunosuppressant medication, that is accessible across the health service to identify those at risk.
- Ensure that the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) consider all health conditions in the rollout of new vaccines to avoid confusion over eligibility.
Ruth Wakeman, Crohn’s & Colitis UK Director of Services, Advocacy, and Evidence, said:
We know that people living with Crohn’s and Colitis felt ignored and forgotten throughout the pandemic. We hope that by sharing your experiences lessons are learned to ensure that in any future health crisis people living with Crohn’s and Colitis are able to access care promptly and be correctly identified for support, early access to vaccines and treatment.
