Bowel management with spinal cord injured people

The request was successful.

Dear George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust,

By way of introduction, I work for the Spinal Injuries Association. 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 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,

Lauren Theodosi

Freedom of Information,

Ref No: GEH/1617/384 Acknowledgement

Dear Ms Theodosi

Thank you for your email received 16 January 2017 requesting information re:

Bowel management with spinal cord injured people

Your request is being dealt with under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and will be answered within twenty working days.
If you have any queries about this request do not hesitate to contact me. Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

Kind regards

Matthew Reynolds
Legal Services & FOI Officer
Telephone Number: 024 76153886
Email: [email address]
[email address]
             
George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust
College Street | Nuneaton | Warwickshire | CV10 7DJ
www.geh.nhs.uk
 
 @GEHNHSnews  www.facebook.com/georgeeliothospital
  
“Our vision is to EXCEL at patient care”

******************************************************************************************************************************************************

From: Lauren Theodosi [mailto:[FOI #382205 email]]
Sent: 16 January 2017 13:21
To: Enquiries
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Bowel management with spinal cord injured people

Dear George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust,

By way of introduction, I work for the Spinal Injuries Association. 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 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,

Lauren Theodosi

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Freedom of Information,

1 Attachment

Ref No: GEH/1617/384

Dear Ms Theodosi

Please find attached the response to your Freedom Information Request dated 16 January 2017.

Kind regards

Matthew Reynolds
Legal Services & FOI Officer
Telephone Number: 024 76153886
Email: [email address]
[email address]
             
George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust
College Street | Nuneaton | Warwickshire | CV10 7DJ www.geh.nhs.uk
 
 @GEHNHSnews  www.facebook.com/georgeeliothospital
  
“Our vision is to EXCEL at patient care”

************************************************************************************************************************************

show quoted sections