On Wednesday 20th July, Coloplast UK and Ireland will join forces with the UK’s three largest stoma charities: Colostomy UK, Ileostomy and Internal Pouch Association, and Urostomy Association to co-host a first-of-its-kind relay race to Parliament to launch a new ‘Calls to Action’ statement. 

The race will be led by people with a stoma, alongside other members of the stoma community, including nurses, charity representatives and even Coloplast UK’s local Member of Parliament, Paul Bristow MP.

The statement developed by people with stomas sets out the improvements needed to ensure everyone with a stoma has access to optimal care so that they can live their lives to the full, whether that’s returning to sport, going on holiday, going to the cinema, taking their kids to the park, DIY, going to a restaurant etc.

The relay will start at a London hospital, where the participants will run/walk in a relay to Westminster. This will act as a symbolic display of the activities that people with a stoma can do when they receive high quality care and support. 

Using the 'Calls to Action' statement as a ‘baton’, participants will follow a scenic route along the River Thames before passing the baton to reception host, Giles Watling MP, directly outside of Parliament. Once they have had the chance to catch their breath, Giles will invite the runners and walkers into Parliament to kick-off a reception and celebrate their efforts to carry this important message from 'patients' to policymakers. The reception will also seek to educate Parliamentarians about the steps they can take to support everyone living with a stoma across the UK.

To articulate the challenges faced by people with a stoma, a modified Delphi panel used the output from several patient focus groups to create a set of ‘Calls to Action’, with a particular focus on the issue of leakage. The three leading UK stoma charities: Colostomy UK, Ileostomy and Internal Pouch Association (IA), and Urostomy Association (UA) were invited to participate, in an effort to bring together all parts of the UK stoma community.

Read full publication featured in British Journal of Nursing

We wanted to ensure that the research came to life, were widely understood and acted upon. So we created a simpler two pager document. This is the 'Calls to Action'.

This pulls out recommendations for action by various stakeholders in the stoma community: Policymakers; Healthcare professionals; Healthcare providers; Community & Employers; Manufactures and Suppliers.

As mentioned above, the 'Calls to Action' will be physically carried by the relay team from hospital to Parliament.

Read full Consensus Statement

How can you support?

There are number of ways you can show your support either today or in the future. We would love everyone to show their support, whether you are in stoma community, member of public or a politician. 

Find out more about the charities involved

This work was initiated and funded by Coloplast UK and Ireland, and developed in partnership with Colostomy UK, Ileostomy and Internal Pouch Association, and Urostomy Association.