Agility and Flexibility Award *NEW FOR 2021*

Summary of work

When the UK Government announced its COVID-19 shielding programme, the gastroenterology community had a problem. There was no single national organisation with all the right data to find and assess the risks of COVID-19 for people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
The IBD Registry solved the problem by empowering patients to lead the way. Working remotely, we pulled together a team of clinical, patient, technical and communications experts to build and launch a patient-friendly self-assessment risk tool to reassure patients and support hospital IBD teams.
We managed to achieve this in just eight days from concept to launch. The tool enabled patients to do their own risk assessment and share the data securely with their hospital IBD team. By the time the first shielding period ended in August 2020, over 34,000 people with IBD had used the tool, and their results had been made available to 174 NHS Trusts and Health Boards.
It’s been so successful that it’s still being regularly used today, and over 40,000 patients and their IBD teams have benefitted from it to date.

Judges' comments

The IBD Registry COVID-19 Patient Risk Tool impressed us with the rapid and robust strategic response. It addressed the need for practical tools and the requirement to centralise data, ensuring governance within the pathway. The implementation pulled on its collaborative network and multiple partners, using their engagement with patients as a key mechanism within the process, supported by demonstrable results in line with the strategy. Dovetail and IBD Registry's collaborative nature showed a huge degree of flexibility and it delivered at pace, zero to hero! Impactful, impressive and meaningful. We absolutely loved it!