FOI-03931

Request   I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.   I am conducting research into the comparative lifetime NHS costs of medical management versus surgical management (including permanent ostomy formation) for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). To support this work, I would be grateful if you could provide the following aggregate data for England, where held, for each financial year from 2019/20 to the most recent complete year available.   IBD Population   The number of patients with a recorded diagnosis of:   Crohn's disease   Ulcerative colitis   Surgical Activity   The number of ileostomy and colostomy procedures performed where the primary indication was inflammatory bowel disease.   The average NHS cost (or reference cost) of:   Ileostomy formation   Colostomy formation   Ostomy reversal surgery (where applicable)   The average length of hospital stay following ostomy surgery for IBD.   Hospital Activity   The number of hospital admissions where the primary diagnosis was inflammatory bowel disease.   The average NHS cost per inpatient admission for inflammatory bowel disease.   The number of outpatient gastroenterology appointments relating to inflammatory bowel disease.   The average NHS cost per outpatient gastroenterology appointment.   Medications   Total annual NHS expenditure on medications prescribed for inflammatory bowel disease, broken down where available by:   Aminosalicylates (e.g. mesalazine)   Corticosteroids   Immunomodulators   Biologic therapies   JAK inhibitors   The number of patients receiving biologic therapies for inflammatory bowel disease, where available.   Stoma Care   Total annual NHS expenditure on ostomy appliances supplied to patients.   The average annual NHS expenditure per ostomy patient on stoma appliances, where this information is held.   Total annual expenditure on community stoma nursing services, where available.   Follow-up   The average number of outpatient follow-up appointments after ostomy surgery during:   the first postoperative year   subsequent years, where available.   The average number of outpatient appointments per year for patients managed medically for inflammatory bowel disease.   Complications   The annual number of admissions related to complications of:   inflammatory bowel disease   ostomies (e.g. prolapse, parastomal hernia, dehydration and peristomal skin complications), where these are separately coded.   Costing   Any existing reports, analyses or summaries held by your organisation comparing the NHS costs of long-term medical management of inflammatory bowel disease with surgical management involving permanent ostomy formation.   If any of the requested information is already publicly available, I would be grateful if you could direct me to the relevant publications or datasets instead.   If any part of this request is likely to exceed the cost limit under Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act, I would appreciate advice and assistance under Section 16 to refine the request so that it can be answered within the statutory limit.   The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) received your request on 29 June 2026.     We have handled your request under the  Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).   Our response   On 1 July 2026, we advised that the NHSBSA did not hold the requested information, with the exception of questions 9 and 10.   However, following a further search of our paper and electronic records, I can confirm that the NHSBSA does not hold the information requested in questions 9 and 10.    Advice and  assistance   NHSBSA does not hold information linking prescribed medicines to a patient's medical condition. As a result, we are unable to identify whether prescribing costs relate to a specific condition or to another medical condition. Therefore, we do not hold the information required to answer these questions.   Having reviewed your request, I believe that it is possible that NHS England or each Integrated Care Board (ICB) may hold some or all of the information you require. They can be contacted at:   Integrated Care Board (ICB)   You can find each local ICB at: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/find-your-local-integrated-care-board/   NHS England   NHS England   PO Box 16738   Redditch   B97 9PT   Telephone 0300 311 22 33   Email: [email protected]   Web http://www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/foi/   Following the announcement on 13 March 2025 regarding the disbanding of NHS England, please be assured that at this time they can be contacted for information as normal.