Charitable Organisation - we are now officially recognised!

We are delighted to let you know that we heard in March from the HMRC. They have approved our application and we are now recognised as a Charitable organisation for tax purposes. This means that donators can be confident in BAM Support UK's charitable integrity and we can also claim additional gift aid on the fundraising donations we receive.  

Our next steps are to continue to strive towards gaining the higher level of Charity status with the Charity Commission. Having this higher status level will enable us to knock on many more doors to apply for grants to support the charities work in raising awareness of the condition and funding essential research into improving the quality of lives for people suffering with BAD. However, before we can apply for this status we need to raise an income of £5,000. So please do take a look at our fundraising initiatives in this newsletter to see how you can support us - every penny will help and it's amazing how quickly it all adds up.

Review of British Society of Gastroenterology Management of Chronic Diarrhoea guidelines

BAD UK have been asked to represent patients on the review of the British Society of Gastroenterology Management of Chronic Diarrhoea guidelines. These guidelines specifically focus on the diagnosis of the different conditions that can cause chronic diarrhoea. Michelle, our Secretary, attended the first review meeting in March 16 and there were positive discussions on updating the section relating to diagnosis of BAD. These reviews can take a while to be completed as they have to be undertaken in line with NICE criteria. Michelle will keep us all updated as this review continues.

NICE SeCHAT Review Update

In February 2016 NICE (National Institute of Clinical Excellence) put out a call for comments on their review of the NICE guidance on SeHCAT testing and the recommendation to place the guidance on the static list. Their rationale for moving to the static list was that there was insufficient evidence on treatment tolerability to support SeHCAT testing for diagnosing the condition. BAD UK responded to the comment call expressing concern about the decision. We informed NICE of the positive impact having a diagnosis of the condition has on sufferers emotional, social and physical wellbeing and shared with them the findings from the Survey undertaken with the BSM Facebook group.  

Subsequently in March 16 NICE have advised that following reviewing responses from stake holders and becoming aware of the plans to update guidelines which could impact upon the position of the SeHCAT test in the diagnostic pathway for people with chronic diarrhoea they have decided to defer the review until March 17.