Lagan Valley Hospital gastro hub transforms care for Crohn’s disease patient

Transcript

00:00I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease in 2012. It's been an uphill struggle from then but like I

00:10say having a resource like this that changed everything. It has been invaluable for me.

00:16Rabbit Assessment Centre was established in May 2021 and at that time we had one

00:22hub which was the respiratory hub but over the years we have now added to that and we

00:27now have the respiratory frailty and palliative care and in recent times we are really excited

00:32to introduce the gastro hub as well. It's rapid access and I get the medication the treatments

00:40that I need really quickly and it's really it provides safety for me I think is the main thing

00:49because I know who to contact whenever I need it and I know that I'll get the treatment that I need

00:54really quickly. The patients who have a diagnosis of Crohn's disease and ulcerative clias we offer

01:02those individuals rapid access appointments through the gastro hub who may have developed a flare with

01:08their disease. It gives access to patients to get rapid diagnostic tests they get seen within one to

01:15two weeks of referrals this type of patients and if they wait any longer their symptoms may deteriorate

01:21and they may attend ED so the goal is to avoid reaching that stage. I know where I'm coming I know the

01:29people here and it just makes everything so much easier having that single point of contact and knowing

01:37what to do. It's always really encouraging to see how patients really appreciate the service. It is life

01:45changing for them. The staff are fantastic and they're just they're like friends now they they know you

01:52they know your history. You know that they really care about you.