Cut The Crap

It is taking too long for people with Inflammatory Bowel Disease to be diagnosed, impacting individual’s physical and mental health, and carrying a significant cost for the NHS.

• 26% are waiting more than a year for a diagnosis. • 41% have visited A&E at least once before being diagnosed

We know delayed diagnosis can lead to worse health outcomes for people with Crohn’s and Colitis, with those experiencing the longest delays twice as likely to need surgery as those diagnosed quickly. One of the reasons for delayed diagnosis is patients not seeking medical advice despite symptoms. Our campaign – Cut the Crap – aimed to raise awareness of symptoms, and promote our online symptom checker amongst young people – a tool that within 30 seconds gives advice on what to do based on people’s symptoms.

The campaign launched in November 2022 with a parliamentary and PR push, public awareness activities followed, building to an advert playing out across 517 UK cinemas and Channel 4 and Sky streaming services from November 2023. Over 250,000 people have now used our symptom checker (over 8x target) and are more informed about their symptoms and the importance of seeking professional medical advice.