Bowel Management Patient Safety Alert (SPINE 01/19)

The request was successful.

Dear University College London Hospitals 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,

Jennifer Sims

IGQueries (UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST), University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Hi Jennifer,

Your email has reached the IG department.

I have included in the FOI team who will action your request in due course,

Regards,
Ash

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Foi(0ce24) (UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST), University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Ref no - FOI/2019/146- FOI Request

 

Dear Ms Jennifer Sims,

 

Thank you for your request for information relating to UCLH NHS Foundation
Trust, received on 25 February 2019. You should receive a response by 25
March 2019 at the latest, complying with the 20 working days as prescribed
in the Act.

 

Occasionally, we may not be able to provide you with all the information
you require by that date, but if this is the case we will inform you,
stating the reason and the date by which we would hope to respond to your
request. 

 

Under the Act, there are 23 exemptions that can be applied to the
information you request. This may mean that we do not have to supply some
or all of the information, and in certain circumstances, do not have to
tell you if we hold the information.  If this happens, you will be told
which exemption applies.

 

If you have any queries regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to
contact us.

 

Please quote your reference number in any communication with us.

 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

FOI Team

 

Theodora Brocke-Afful

Records Supervisor/FOIA, UCLH

 

Release of Information

2nd Floor B, Maple House

UCLH NHS Foundation Trust,149 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 7DN

 

Telephone: 0203 447 4773

Email: [1][email address]

 

We are committed to delivering
top-quality patient care, excellent
education and world class research

safety  kindness  teamwork  improving

[2]UCLH website | [3]Media | [4]Become a member | [5]Support our charities
| [6]Contact UCLH
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Foi(0ce24) (UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST), University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

2 Attachments

Ref no - FOI/2019/146- Response

Dear Ms Jennifer Sims

Your request for information relating to UCLH Foundation Trust has been processed. Please see attached.

We would appreciate if you can spare time and complete the attached satisfactory survey and return to the email address provided.

If you have any queries regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us.

If you are not satisfied with the handling of your request you are entitled to ask for an internal review by contacting:

The Director of Digital Services
UCLH NHS FoundationTrust
2nd floor, Maple House
149 Tottenham Court Road
London
W1T 7NF
[email address]

Please quote your reference number in any communication with us.

Yours sincerely,

FOI Team

Theodora Brocke-Afful
Records Supervisor/FOIA, UCLH

Release of Information
2nd Floor B, Maple House
UCLH NHS Foundation Trust,149 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 7DN

Telephone: 0203 447 4773
Email: [email address]

We are committed to delivering
top-quality patient care, excellent
education and world class research
safety kindness teamwork improving
UCLH website | Media | Become a member | Support our charities | Contact UCLH
Find us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Subscribe on YouTube

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