Other places to look

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

You don't have to take any of this site's word for it. These are the places IBS Explained gets its facts from, and the places to go for things this site doesn't do, like a helpline, a dietitian or a diagnosis. Everything here is UK based, because most of what you'll find online about Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is American, and the NHS doesn't work that way.

This page was last checked on 23 October 2026. If a link's dead or something's changed, email [email protected].

If you want to talk to someone

Guts UK (gutscharity.org.uk). The charity for all digestive conditions, so wider than IBS alone. Expert patient information, a helpline on 0300 102 4887, Monday to Friday 10am to 2pm, and a regular run of free online events. Their IBS pages are plain, careful and kept up to date. The IBS Network, which used to be the IBS-specific charity, closed in 2025, and its old web address no longer belongs to it, so don't follow links to it.

If you haven't got a diagnosis yet, or something's changed

The NHS page on IBS (nhs.uk/conditions/irritable-bowel-syndrome-ibs). What IBS is, the symptoms, and most importantly the list of symptoms that need a doctor now rather than later. Read that list even if you've had IBS for years.

Bowel Cancer UK (bowelcanceruk.org.uk) and Coeliac UK (coeliac.org.uk). Two conditions that get mistaken for IBS, and the reason a GP should rule things out before anyone settles on the IBS label. Both charities explain the symptoms and the tests in plain language.

The guidelines your doctor follows

NICE guideline CG61 (nice.org.uk/guidance/cg61). The national guidance for IBS in adults in England. It's written for clinicians but it's readable, and it's the document to quote if you want to ask your GP about a treatment it mentions.

The British Society of Gastroenterology guideline on IBS, 2021 (bsg.org.uk). The specialist body's own guideline. Longer and more technical than NICE, with a grade attached to every recommendation so you can see how strong the evidence behind each one is.

The Rome Foundation (theromefoundation.org). The international group that writes the criteria doctors use to diagnose IBS. The criteria were updated in 2026. Useful if you want to know what your doctor was checking against.

Diet and dietitians

The British Dietetic Association (bda.uk.com). Has a free food fact sheet on IBS and a "find a dietitian" search for private practice. In the UK, "dietitian" is a protected title: anyone using it has to be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (hcpc-uk.org), and you can check a name on their register. "Nutritionist" isn't protected.

Monash University (monashfodmap.com). The Australian university that developed the low FODMAP diet. Their site and app are the original source on which foods are high and low in FODMAPs. The diet is meant to be done with a dietitian and it's meant to be temporary; their site says both.

King's College London developed the UK version of the low FODMAP approach and trains NHS dietitians in it. Ask any dietitian you see whether they've done the King's training.

Talking therapies on the NHS

NHS Talking Therapies (nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/talking-therapies). Free, and in England you can refer yourself without going through your GP. The NHS page names IBS as one of the long-term conditions the service can help you cope with. What's offered varies by area, so ask what yours does.

Day to day

Disability Rights UK (shop.disabilityrightsuk.org) sells the RADAR key, which opens locked accessible toilets across the UK, for around five pounds plus postage. If urgency is part of your IBS, it's money well spent.

Mind (mind.org.uk). For the days when living with it is the hard part. Their information on anxiety and on long-term health conditions is good, and the helpline is there if you need it.

A note on what's not here. There are plenty of IBS blogs, apps and products with good reviews. They're not listed because this page is for sources that are either charities, the NHS, or the people who wrote the guidelines, and nothing on it is here because anyone paid for it.