What is known: • The biopsychosocial pathophysiology of functional gastrointestinal disorders involves a disordered brain-gut interaction, which emphasizes the close link between psychological factors and altered gut function. • Psychological intervention, as an adjunct to medical treatment, improves outcomes in paediatric patients with gastrointestinal (GI) disease such as functional gastrointestinal disorders and inflammatory bowel diseases What is new: • There is a rising number of referrals from paediatric gastroenterology to clinical psychology in our centre which is not met by a sufficient increase in the availability of clinical psychologists. Similarly, access to clinical psychological services is lacking in several paediatric gastroenterology centres in the UK and Germany. • Strategic action is required to address this important gap in the care of children suffering from GI diseases.