Bowel management with spinal cord injured patients

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Dear 2Gether NHS Foundation Trust,

Bowel management for spinal cord injured people

Hello my name is Derry Felton and I work for the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA). I just have a few questions that need answering for our Public Affairs department.

As a request under the Freedom of Information Act, please provide the following information on bowel management for spinal cord injured people and others with neurogenic bowel dysfunction

1. Does the Trust have a formal written policy for digital rectal examination/check, digital rectal stimulation and the digital removal of faeces (manual bowel evacuation) in spinal cord injured and other patients with neurogenic bowel dysfunction ?
2. If the Trust does, please supply a copy of this document.
3. If the Trust does not, how is bowel care managed in the above patient groups who present with this care need?
4. Does the Trust employ a specialist continence nurse(s)?
5. If the Trust employs a specialist continence nurse(s) can they (a) undertake digital rectal checks, digital rectal stimulation and digital removal of faeces (manual bowel evacuation), otherwise known as 'intimate digital bowel care procedures' (b) provide instruction to other nurses to enable them to perform intimate digital bowel care procedures'?
6. If the Trust does not employ a specialist continence nurse, is there another health care professional who undertakes intimate digital bowel care procedures including manual bowel evacuation? If yes, who does this?
7. Does your Trust have a policy in place that will allow your staff to do trans-anal irrigation (TAI) of the bowel as a method of bowel care management for spinal cord injured patients? Do you train your staff to do TAI/ bowel irrigation?
8. Do you run bowel care courses for your staff that allows them to deliver the full range of bowel care required by spinal cord injured patients or others with a neurogenic bowel?
9. If yes, please provide details. If no, does the Trust have a policy which allows for the personal care assistants (PAs) of spinal cord injured patients to assist with this element of the patient's care?

Yours faithfully,

Derry Felton

Information-Freedom (2GETHER NHS FOUNDATION TRUST), 2Gether NHS Foundation Trust

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request. Please note that this
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References

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1. http://www.talk2gether.nhs.uk/
2. http://www.samaritans.org/

Information-Freedom (2GETHER NHS FOUNDATION TRUST), 2Gether NHS Foundation Trust

1 Attachment

Dear Mr/Ms Felton

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request. Please find the Trust’s response attached.

Kind regards
Sharon
Sharon Bryant-Small | Information Governance Officer
2gether NHS Foundation Trust
Trust HQ | Rikenel | Montpellier | Gloucester | GL1 1LY
Tel: 01452 894264 | Email: [email address]

Information Governance Enquiries Email: [email address]
Freedom of Information Enquiries E-mail: [2Gether NHS Foundation Trust request email]

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