This comprehensive, evidence-based resource has been developed by Sarah Gleeson, Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Mercy University Hospital, Cork, with the aim of supporting women living with Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis at every stage of life.

Women make up around half of all people living with IBD, and their health needs can be influenced by hormonal changes, reproductive health, and life stage. This guide brings together essential information to help patients better understand these unique challenges and to support informed decision-making in partnership with their healthcare teams.

• A truly comprehensive resource
• The booklet covers a wide range of important topics, including:
• Menstrual health and hormonal influences
• Fertility, contraception and family planning
• Pregnancy and IBD medications
• Menopause and long-term health considerations
• Gynaecological conditions associated with IBD
• Mental health, sexual wellbeing, and quality of life
• Cancer screening, prevention, and overall health management

Available now!

The Women’s Health in IBD booklet is now available to download for free at crohns and colitis ireland, ensuring that anyone who needs this information can access it easily and share it with their families, carers, and healthcare providers.

 Download the booklet here: Women’s Health in IBD – A Comprehensive Guide for Patients and IBD Clinicians

We have launched our 10-year celebration booklet to coincide with World IBD day on the 16^th May 2026.

The Celebration booklet holds details of all the IBD services nationally and lists the supports available to patients living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease across Ireland.

Over the past decade, IBDNAI has grown into a national organisation that supports and empowers IBD nurses through professional development, education, and advocacy. At the heart of our mission is fostering a strong community where nurses can network, share experiences, and learn from one another. By encouraging collaboration and the exchange of knowledge, we help improve the quality of care for people living with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and related conditions.

This award is an opportunity to gain recognition for all you do for our IBD patients. Any innovations or project may be suitable, so please apply. The finalists will present to their colleagues at our IBDNAI study day, where the winner will be announced. We look forward to seeing you there.

IBD Nurses Award 2026 Application Form

Friday 20th – Saturday 21st March 2026

Programme to Follow

20 Nov – 21 Nov
Killashee Hotel, Naas, Co. Kildare

Venue: The Osprey Hotel, Naas, Co Kildare

The National Clinical Programme for Gastroenterology & Hepatology (NCPG&H) was established in 2019. Its aim is to design clinical pathways and guidelines to develop a Model of Care (MoC), for Gastroenterology and Hepatology services aligned with Slaintecare.

To achieve this aim five working groups were established, consisting of patients and Health Care Professionals (HCPs) including General Practitioners (GPs). The working groups are

1) Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), 2) Advanced Liver Disease, 3) National Workforce Planning, 4) Complex Nutrition and Functional Bowel Disease and 5) Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (PGHN). A voluntary clinical lead has been nominated in each group. Prof Larry Egan is the lead for the IBD working group.

This vast Programme is overseen by a 0.5 WTE Clinical Lead (CL) Prof Colm O’Morain and a 0.5 WTE Programme Manager (PM) Mary Hamzawi, seconded from the clinical area.

The IBD working Group have developed the clinical pathway which will guide the Model of Care for all IBD patients nationally. Thanks particularly to the team in UHG, Aine Keogh and Mary Hussey and Prof Egan, for their time and input to finalise this pathway and ensure its approval within the HSE & DoH.

As of July 2022, the pathway has been accepted and awaiting confirmation from Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) to confirm how many CNS posts will be funded. The NCPG&H requested 35.8 IBD CNS posts be sanctioned nationally to enable the roll out of this pathway.

There are currently twenty-eight hospitals offering an IBD service to 50,000 patients.

Ten of these services are in level four hospitals: Beaumont, Mater, SJUH, SVUH, Tallaght, CUH, GUH, MUH, LUH, and CHI Crumlin.

The remaining eighteen are in level three hospitals.

There are eighty-five consultant gastroenterologists nationally, fifty-two in level four and thirty three across the remaining eighteen hospitals.

Thirty CNS /CNM2’s nationally

Four ANPs nationally

Two WTE psychologists nationally

3.9 dedicated Dietitians nationally (Stats as of July 2022)

Due to limited GP access to diagnostics such as Faecal Calprotectin (FCP) and the increasing number of referrals to the Gastroenterology services, it takes on average eighteen months for patients to receive an IBD diagnosis. Approx. 25% of patients often present to ED and are diagnosed as inpatients.

Currently, all hospitals are under resourced from a CNS/ANP perspective as per recommendations from the UK IBD standards Guidelines – Recommendation is for 2.5 IBD CNSs per 250,000 population, this gives a static caseload of five hundred per FTE. As IBD is a chronic disease requiring medication and lifelong clinical input, patient education, ongoing management and empowerment is essential to ensure patients are managed in line with Sláintecare goals.

Future State

NCPG&H IBD work stream aims to develop a national care pathway that provides GPs with better access to diagnostics including Faecal Calprotectin Stool Testing (FCP) as well as improved access to tertiary IBD Gastroenterology services. Such access will lead to earlier diagnosis and stream line more appropriate referrals to gastroenterologists.

The overall objective of is to improve waiting times for a diagnosis of IBD and provide national standardised access to specialised IBD care. This MoC can be developed through the employment and positioning of IBD CNSs at critical points throughout the pathway in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team.

The CNS will improve IBD patient triage, complete and streamline referrals for appropriate diagnostics, screening and blood monitoring. Ensure support and education for patients with IBD to improve their HRQOL. All care is aligned with Slaintecare. Long-term this will also improve management of patients with IBD at a satellite community level, avoiding both unnecessary ED and GP presentations and ensuring appropriate use of resources nationally.