Adopting this new service for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) with diet and FODMAPs in Cardiff and Vale resulted in 85 patients being referred and 69 patients (81%) attending the first session and receiving support. The majority of the patients attending the follow up reported reduction in symptoms scores and improvement.

  • 1 in 3 reported that they had tried to follow a low FODMAP diet by themselves and failed as the symptoms and impact on daily living persisted.
  • The dietitian used the sessions to support diagnosis and explain the symptoms. The dietary advice was individualised and improvements were observed in compliance with treatment and symptoms were resolved. This in turn reduces the need for medication and GP visits.
  • It is also important to note the additional service level benefits including reduced referrals to secondary care, reduction in costly and invasive investigations, and cost savings from medication that was not started due to improved symptoms.