The opportunity for people to participate without barriers, and the willingness of Governments to implement policies and programs that ensure access to quality care will be given greater impetus if the Australian community is educated about the physical, psychological and social impacts of Crohn’s and colitis and become understanding and supportive of people living with IBDs.
CCA works to advocate for the IBD community in a range of ways:
The Australian Government announced the development of the IBD National Action Plan in April 2018. Crohn’s & Colitis Australia (CCA), the peak consumer organisation for people with IBD, has coordinated the consultation process for IBD stakeholders including a national roundtable action planning workshop.
The CCA IBD Audit is the first national audit of the organisation and provision of IBD care in Australia. The audit was undertaken to collect evidence on how IBD services vary across Australia and identify the reasons for this variation. It aims to inform a nationally consistent response to improve the quality of IBD care.
“Good organisation of IBD care is not an optional extra and will have a greater impact on overall standards of care than novel therapy for a minority.”
Professor Simon Travis
“I have a lot of fatigue and anxiety since being diagnosed and often feel that I can’t live my life to the fullest for my age.”
from My IBD Experience Report
The Australian IBD Patient Experience of Health Care Research Report 2018: My IBD Experience
In 2016 CCA together with the key learned bodies in IBD healthcare in Australia and people living with IBD has developed the Australian IBD Standards: Standards of healthcare for people with inflammatory bowel disease in Australia.
