{
  "abstract": "Introduction Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). Effective IBD CRC surveillance pathways, including high quality colonoscopy surveillance, are essential for early detection and improved clinical outcomes. We aimed to evaluate current IBD CRC surveillance services and practices among NHS Trusts and Health Boards in the United Kingdom (UK).Methods All endoscopy/IBD clinical leads from NHS Trusts/Health Boards in the UK providing surveillance colonoscopy were invited to participate in an electronic survey questionnaire via the British Society of Gastroenterology and Joint Advisory Group for GI Endoscopy (JAG) newsletter. Information collected included surveillance pathways, endoscopist training, procedure time allocation and use of chromoendoscopy. Responses were collected between December 2024 and August 2025 using Google Forms.Results 13 NHS Trusts/Health Boards across England and Wales responded. Nine units (69%) reported having a dedicated IBD surveillance lead with seven of them reporting dedicated time allocated to carry out this role. A formal database to identify patients eligible for surveillance colonoscopy was present in only four Trusts/Health Boards (30.8%). Ten units were JAG accredited and had systems to follow up patients who did not attend surveillance appointments. One unit required a faecal calprotectin prior to surveillance colonoscopy.Six units did not provide any dedicated surveillance lists using dye-spray or virtual chromoendoscopy, three offered dye-spray only, and four offered both modalities. Five Trusts/Health Boards lacked a dedicated surveillance colonoscopist. Of the remaining eight units, only six had colonoscopists who had received chromoendoscopy training. Only three units reported access to formal dye-spray chromoendoscopy training. Six units reported difficulty meeting surveillance demands. All except one unit dedicate at least 60 minutes for IBD CRC surveillance colonoscopies. When dysplasia is detected, 11/13 (84.6%) units discuss these cases in an MDT setting.Conclusions This survey demonstrates significant variation in IBD surveillance services across NHS Trusts/Health Boards in the UK. Key discrepancies include a lack of database to identify patients to undergo surveillance at appropriate intervals, lack of dedicated chromoendoscopy trained endoscopists and surveillance lists, and limited access to formal chromoendoscopy training. Deficiencies in infrastructure, training, and service planning may compromise equitable, high-quality surveillance and therefore cause delays for timely diagnosis and management. These findings highlight the need for standardised surveillance pathways, improved workforce support, and wider access to dedicated training modalities for dye spray and virtual chromoendoscopy.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Yorkshire and Humber Gastroenterology Audit and Research Trainee Network,, United Kingdom"
      ],
      "name": "Yorkshire and Humber Gastroenterology Audit and Research Trainee Network"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Yorkshire Cancer Research Bowel Cancer Improvement Programme,, United Kingdom"
      ],
      "name": "Yorkshire Cancer Research Bowel Cancer Improvement Programme"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James’s, University of Leeds, United Kingdom",
        "Leeds Institute for Data Analytics, University of Leeds,, United Kingdom"
      ],
      "name": "John Taylor"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, United Kingdom"
      ],
      "name": "Nicholas Burr"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom"
      ],
      "name": "James Turvill"
    }
  ],
  "title": "P304 Workforce, infrastructure and training gaps in IBD colorectal cancer surveillance: a UK-wide survey from the ColCaS IBD study",
  "uid": "8c10713a-045f-5a96-87fb-434694b34273"
}