Bowel Management Patient Safety Alert (SPINE 01/19)

The request was successful.

Dear Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust,

MY COLLEAGUES AND MYSELF ARE SENDING A DISCRETE AND SEPARATE FOI REQUEST TO EVERY NHS TRUST (BUT ARE ENSURING THAT NO DUPLICATE REQUEST IS MADE TO ANY ONE TRUST).

WE WOULD REQUEST THAT FOI OFFICERS SEND (VIA THE WHATDOTHEYKNOW WEBSITE PORTAL) A SIMILARLY DISCRETE AND SEPARATE RESPONSE FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL TRUST.

I work for the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA), the leading national user-led charity supporting spinal cord injured people and their families. Being a user led organisation SIA understand the challenges of living with a spinal cord injury (SCI). We strive to support all people living with SCI to access the services and support they need to stay healthy and live full, fulfilling and active lives.

Part of my role is to assist the Head of Public Affairs with FOI requests, such as the one that follows. As a request under the Freedom of Information Act, please provide the following information about the recent NHS Improvement (NHSI) Patient Safety Alert “Resources to support safer bowel care for patients at risk of autonomic dysreflexia 25 July 2018”, Alert reference number: NHS/PSA/RE/2018/005

Q1. Does the Trust have a formal written policy for digital rectal examination, digital rectal stimulation and the digital removal of faeces in spinal cord injured and other patients with neurogenic bowel dysfunction?

(a) Yes
(b) No

Q2. Following recommendation of this patient safety alert, did the Trust “review your local clinical policy and guidance relating to bowel assessment and management”?

(a) Yes – produced a new policy
(b) Yes - revised an existing policy
(c) Yes – retained existing policy
(d) No – did not review an existing policy
(e) No – no bowel assessment and management policy in place

Q3. Is your policy based on the policy template that the Spinal Injuries Association circulated to your trust in August 2018?

(a) Yes
(b) No
(c) No bowel assessment and management policy in place

Q4. If admitted to the Trust will a person with neurogenic bowel dysfunction receive the following bowel care intervention – Digital removal faeces?

(a) Yes
(b) No

Q5. If admitted to the Trust will a person with neurogenic bowel dysfunction receive the following bowel care intervention –Digital rectal stimulation?

(a) Yes
(b) No

Q6. If admitted to the Trust will a person with neurogenic bowel dysfunction receive the following bowel care intervention –Trans anal irrigation?

(a) Yes
(b) No

Q7. Are staff available seven days a week to undertake these bowel care interventions?

(a) Yes
(b) No

Q8. Has the Trust “reviewed your local education and training provision for interventional bowel management” as recommended in the Patient Safety Alert?

(a) Yes
(b) No

Q9. As requested by the Patient Safety Alert, has the trust developed “an action plan to ensure patients have adequate and timely access to staff who are trained appropriately to carry out these procedures, including in the evening and at weekends”?

(a) Yes
(b) No

Q10. Has the Trust “shared your reviewed local guidance, advice on how to identify staff who can provide Digital Removal of Faeces, and the key messages in this alert with medical, nursing and other relevant clinical staff”?

(a) Yes
(b) No

Q11. Does the Trust have a policy that allows for the personal care assistants/carers of spinal cord injured patients to assist with this element of the patient's care?

(a) Yes
(b) No

Q12. As recommended in the Patient Safety Alert, have you identified “an appropriate clinical leader to co-ordinate implementation of this alert”?

(a) Yes (please answer Q13, but ignore Q14)
(b) No (please answer Q14, but ignore Q13)

Q13. What are the contact details for the “appropriate clinical leader”(ie name, position, telephone and email)?

Q14. Why has your Trust not appointed an “appropriate clinical leader”?

(a) Alert implemented without appointment of a clinical leader
(b) Took no action following Patient Safety Alert, as policy already in place
(c) Took no action. No existing policy in place
(d) Other

Q15. Are your newly registered nurses able to demonstrate the nursing procedures as required in Annexe B, section 6.5 of the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s document ‘Future Nurse: Standards of Proficiency for Registered Nurses’?

(a) Yes
(b) No

Technical Note – Relevant annexe reads:-

“Annexe B
6: Use evidenced based, best practice approaches for meeting needs for care and support with bladder and bowel health
6.5: Administer enema, suppositories and undertake manual evacuation when appropriate.”

If you have any queries or require clarification on any of these questions, please contact the Spinal Injuries Association at [email address]

Yours faithfully,

Tim Nicholson

barnsley@infreemation.co.uk, Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

In the first instance please check the following to locate the information
you require:
 

Trust website: [1]http://www.barnsleyhospital.nhs.uk/
Our Annual Reports and Accounts:
[2]http://www.barnsleyhospital.nhs.uk/about...
Publication Scheme:
[3]http://www.barnsleyhospital.nhs.uk/docum...
Disclosure Log:
[4]http://www.barnsleyhospital.nhs.uk/docum...
 

If this information cannot be found, please re-submit your request to us
via the disclosure log.

Please ensure in the title of your request you state this is a
resubmission.

If some of the information is found, please revise your request
accordingly. Please do not reply to this email.

You can submit a request to us
via [5]http://www.barnsleyhospital.nhs.uk/docum...

 

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References

Visible links
1. http://www.barnsleyhospital.nhs.uk/
2. http://www.barnsleyhospital.nhs.uk/about...
3. http://www.barnsleyhospital.nhs.uk/docum...
4. http://www.barnsleyhospital.nhs.uk/docum...
5. http://www.barnsleyhospital.nhs.uk/docum...

RE-SUBMISSION

Dear [email address],

Information not in the public domain

Yours sincerely,

Tim Nicholson

barnsley@infreemation.co.uk, Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Dear Requester,

 

I can confirm that the Trust does hold the information you have requested.

Thank you for your request for information, details of which are below:

Freedom of Information Request

Q1. Does the Trust have a formal written policy for digital rectal
examination, digital rectal stimulation and the digital removal of faeces
in spinal cord injured and other patients with neurogenic bowel
dysfunction?

(a) Yes
(b) No

Q2. Following recommendation of this patient safety alert, did the Trust
�review your local clinical policy and guidance relating to bowel
assessment and management�?

(a) Yes - produced a new policy
 (b) Yes - revised an existing policy
 (c) Yes - retained existing policy
(d) No - did not review an existing policy
 (e) No - no bowel assessment and management policy in place

Q3. Is your policy based on the policy template that the Spinal Injuries
Association circulated to your trust in August 2018?

(a) Yes
(b) No
 (c) No bowel assessment and management policy in place

Q4. If admitted to the Trust will a person with neurogenic bowel
dysfunction receive the following bowel care intervention - Digital
removal faeces?

(a) Yes
(b) No

Q5. If admitted to the Trust will a person with neurogenic bowel
dysfunction receive the following bowel care intervention -Digital rectal
stimulation?

(a) Yes
(b) No

Q6. If admitted to the Trust will a person with neurogenic bowel
dysfunction receive the following bowel care intervention -Trans anal
irrigation?

(a) Yes
(b) No

Q7. Are staff available seven days a week to undertake these bowel care
interventions?

(a) Yes
(b) No

Q8. Has the Trust �reviewed your local education and training provision
for interventional bowel management� as recommended in the Patient
Safety Alert?

(a) Yes
(b) No

Q9. As requested by the Patient Safety Alert, has the trust developed
�an action plan to ensure patients have adequate and timely access to
staff who are trained appropriately to carry out these procedures,
including in the evening and at weekends�?

(a) Yes
(b) No

Q10. Has the Trust �shared your reviewed local guidance, advice on how
to identify staff who can provide Digital Removal of Faeces, and the key
messages in this alert with medical, nursing and other relevant clinical
staff�?

(a) Yes
(b) No

Q11. Does the Trust have a policy that allows for the personal care
assistants/carers of spinal cord injured patients to assist with this
element of the patient''s care?

(a) Yes
(b) No

Q12. As recommended in the Patient Safety Alert, have you identified �an
appropriate clinical leader to co-ordinate implementation of this
alert�?

(a) Yes (please answer Q13, but ignore Q14)
(b) No (please answer Q14, but ignore Q13)

Q13. What are the contact details for the �appropriate clinical
leader�(ie name, position, telephone and email)?

Lindsay Reynolds, 

Continence Nurse Specialist,

Elderly Medicine

Q14. Why has your Trust not appointed an �appropriate clinical
leader�? N/A

(a) Alert implemented without appointment of a clinical leader
 (b) Took no action following Patient Safety Alert, as policy already in
place
 (c) Took no action. No existing policy in place
 (d) Other

Q15. Are your newly registered nurses able to demonstrate the nursing
procedures as required in Annexe B, section 6.5 of the Nursing and
Midwifery Council�s document �Future Nurse: Standards of Proficiency
for Registered Nurses�?

(a) Yes
(b) No

This completes the Trust’s response to your request.

As part of our on-going evaluation, we ask that you complete a
satisfaction survey found at the link below. This helps us to identify
areas of improvement and to highlight good practice to share with other
teams. [1]https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/L3HLQV3

Re-use of Public Sector Information

© Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

You may re-use this information (not including logos) free of charge in
any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence.

 

To view this licence, visit:
[2]http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/o...

Alternatively, you can consult the Guidance for Information Providers
section on The National Archives
website:[3]http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/infor...

Your rights

If you are unhappy with the way we have handled your request, you may ask
for an internal review in accordance with Section VI Complaints Procedures
of the Section 45 Code of Practice of the Freedom of Information Act 2000:
and in accordance with the Trust’s Code of Practice for Responding to
Requests for Information.

If you wish to complain you should contact:

Katie Hunter

Information Governance Manager

Tel: 01226 432017

Information Governance Department

Admin Block

Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Gawber Road

Barnsley

S75 2EP

[email address]

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision.

The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please
remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

 

Yours sincerely,

Information Governance Team

Information Governance Department

Ext: 2017 Direct Line: 01226 432017
Email: [4][Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust request email]

Kind regards,

 

Information Governance Team

Information Governance Department

Email: [email address]

Ext: 2017  Direct Line: 01226 432017
Email: [5][email address]

References

Visible links
1. https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/L3HLQV3
2. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/o...
3. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/infor...
4. mailto:[email address]
5. mailto:[email address]

Dear [email address],

I'm afraid that I can't see a lot of your responses within WhatDoTheyKnow (possibly because you've used colour shading which hasn't made it through the portal website). Can you re-send by email to [email address]

Yours sincerely,

Tim Nicholson