Bowel Management Patient Safety Alert (SPINE 01/19)

The request was successful.

Dear Northumbria Healthcare 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,

Dave Bracher

FOI NHCFT Freedom of Information,

1 Attachment

[1]Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Freedom of Information Request

Our Reference: FOI – 5453

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References

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FOI NHCFT Freedom of Information,

1 Attachment

[1]Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Freedom of Information Request

Please see the attached Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
response to your information request.

 

If you could reply to this e-mail to advise us that you have received the
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Thank You

FOI Officer, 3rd Floor, Cobalt Business Exchange & Conference Centre,
Cobalt Park Way, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE28 9NZ

Tel: 0191 607 3609

E-mail: [3][email address]  

Fax: 0191 2934283

There is a lot of useful published FOI information on our internet site
please visit:

[4]https://www.northumbria.nhs.uk/about-us/...

The information contained in this e-mail is confidential, and is intended
solely for the addressee(s).

Access, disclosure, copying or distribution by anyone other than the
addressee(s) is prohibited, and may be unlawful.

"Northumbria Digital Services, Telephone: 0344 811 8111 The information in
this e-mail is confidential and may be legally privileged. It is intended
solely for the addressee. Access to this e-mail by anyone else is
unauthorised. If you are not the intended recipient any disclosure,
copying, distribution or any action taken or omitted to be taken in
reliance on it is prohibited and may be unlawful. The information
contained in this e-mail may be subject to public disclosure under the NHS
Code of Openness or the Freedom of Information Act 2000. We may monitor
any emails sent or received by us, or on our behalf. If we do, this will
be in line with relevant law and our own policies."

References

Visible links
1. file:///C:\DOCUME~1\csrwy\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\03\clip_image001.jpg
2. mailto:[email address]
3. mailto:[email address]
4. https://www.northumbria.nhs.uk/about-us/...