About us
Who we are
Founded in 1967, Colostomy UK provides practical and emotional support for people across the UK living with stomas (ostomates). Stoma surgery involves the bowel and/or bladder being diverted through the abdomen so that bodily waste can be collected in a bag, and the term stoma refers to the opening that the surgeon creates in the patient’s stomach.
We offer a wide range of information and support services in many forms, all accessible to the 200,000 people living with stomas in the UK and their support networks, and are currently directly helping approximately 40,000 people a year – ostomates, their families, carers, and health industry professionals. As demand for our services continues to grow, we need to make sure that we can provide the support people need pre-operatively, post-operatively, and then later down the line as they get their lives back on track.