Getting help in the UK

Written by Kathryn Dunn · Published 23 October 2026 · Last reviewed 23 October 2026

You've got a diagnosis and a GP who's busy. Last time you went, you came out with a prescription for something you'd already tried and a feeling that you'd had your turn. Here's what the system is supposed to offer you, step by step, so you can ask for it by name.

Step one: your GP

The first appointment is where the diagnosis gets made properly: the questions about your symptoms, the check for the things that aren't Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and the blood and stool tests that rule other conditions out. If you're not sure that happened, the page on what IBS is sets out what should have.

After that comes the first round of treatment: the diet and lifestyle advice, then the medicines, tried one at a time and reviewed. The guideline your GP follows, NICE CG61, expects a review ^[1]. "Come back if it doesn't settle" is an instruction, not a brush-off. Go back.

Step two: when a year has passed

This is the line most people are never told. NICE says that if medicines haven't helped after twelve months and the symptoms are still going, you should be considered for referral for a psychological therapy: cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), hypnotherapy or psychological therapy ^[1]. The specialists' guideline from the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) agrees, and adds that earlier referral is reasonable where the therapy's available and you'd prefer it ^[2].

There's a page on exactly what that NICE line says, what each word means, and how to ask for it. If you read one other page on this site, read that one.

Separately, your GP may refer you to a gastroenterologist, a hospital specialist in the gut. That happens if there are any of the warning symptoms, if the diagnosis isn't clear, or if your symptoms are severe. A gastroenterologist can run tests a GP can't and prescribe a small number of medicines a GP usually won't ^[2].

Why it depends where you live

The NHS in England is run area by area, through integrated care boards, and each one decides what it funds. For IBS that matters most for the talking therapies. Some areas fund them once IBS has been through the twelve-month route. Others list them as a low priority and don't fund them at all ^[3][4]. Your GP can want to refer you and have nowhere to send you.

How to find out: ask the GP what's available locally, or search for your area's integrated care board together with "procedures of limited clinical value", which is the list of things it won't routinely pay for.

Whatever your area does, NHS Talking Therapies is a separate door. In England you can refer yourself without going through the GP, and the NHS names IBS as one of the long-term conditions the service can help with ^[5]. Ask whether yours does.

Going private

People go private for the usual reasons: the wait, the postcode, or because they'd rather choose who they see. It's a reasonable thing to do. It's also an unregulated market in places, so here's what to check, for each kind of help.

A dietitian. "Dietitian" is a protected title in the UK. Anyone using it must be on the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) register, which you can search online ^[6]. "Nutritionist" isn't protected and can mean anything. The British Dietetic Association has a search for private dietitians ^[7]. Ask whether they've done the King's College London low FODMAP training.

A gastroenterologist. Must be on the General Medical Council register, and for a consultant, on its specialist register ^[8]. You can check both. Private consultations are usually arranged through a private hospital or clinic.

A CBT therapist. Look for accreditation with the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies, which is the standard in the UK ^[9]. Ask whether they've worked with IBS, because IBS-specific CBT is different from general CBT.

A hypnotherapist. Hypnotherapy isn't regulated by law in the UK, so the checks are yours to do. Ask whether they've had specific training in gut-directed hypnotherapy rather than general hypnotherapy, which professional body they belong to and whether they're insured, and whether they'll want you to have a diagnosis before starting. A reputable one will say yes to that last question without being asked.

Whoever you see, these are the signs of somebody to avoid: guaranteed results, a food intolerance test by post, a programme that tells you not to bother with your GP, or anyone who seems more interested in signing you up than in what's wrong.

Rough costs

Private costs vary widely by region and practitioner, and almost nobody publishes them. No professional body collects the figures, so this site doesn't quote any. Whoever you see, ask for the full price before you book, ask whether follow-up appointments are included, and ask what happens to the price if you need more sessions than planned.

The charities

One charity does things neither the NHS nor private care does. Guts UK covers all digestive conditions, IBS included. It runs a helpline on weekday mornings, publishes careful patient information, and puts on free online events ^[10]. The IBS Network, which used to be the IBS-specific charity, closed in 2025. Guts UK's details are on the other sources page.

Where to go next

The page on what NICE says after a year. The printable list of questions to take to your GP. And the longer page on where to get help, which goes through the NHS and private routes in more detail.