Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory condition which runs a relapsing and remitting course. Ulcerative colitis (UC) is more common than Crohn’s disease (CD). UC almost always affects the rectum and extends proximally and continuously to the colon to a variable extent. CD most commonly affects the terminal ileum or colon but can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from the mouth to the anus. The vast majority (90%) of people with UC report bloody stools compared with less than 50% of those with CD. CD is characterised by a triad of abdominal pain, diarrhoea and weight loss.