Specialist inflammatory bowel disease nursing in the UK: current situation and future proofing.

Crohn's & Colitis UK's 'More IBD Nurses-Better Care' campaign has contributed to the numbers of CNS posts in IBD continuing to rise, but they remain lower than the recommended standard of 2.5 IBD CNS per 250 000. Educational and career pathways are not clearly defined, and aspects of the role such as advice line provision contribute to stress within the workforce. The ongoing aims of the charity campaign hope to address these issues by improving access to formal education pathways with peer support for IBD specialist nurses, and advice line training, in addition to supporting trusts and services throughout the UK to reduce the workforce deficit with effective business cases.