Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POPs)

Department of Health and Social Care did not have the information requested.

Dear Department of Health,

Please could you provide figures for:

The number of Pelvic Organ Prolapse surgeries carried out in the UK in the last 15 years on women ...

... broken down by type of problem presenting, and type of surgery.

How many of these operations needed repeating? How many times?

What are the side effects of such operations - by type of operation, and type of problem.

What are the figures for side-effects for these procedures?

Are there any any associated reports or surveys, or other documents especially as to care pathways / plans and success rates.

What consideration is given to the fact thet POP has an impact on a woman's general life, work life, continence and sex life?

How many GP medical certificates were issued to women suffering from the effects of POP, and unable to work because of the pain and discomfort, and problems with continence etc., in the last 10 years?

What management advice is given to women with POP who are trying to cope / manage the problem in work?

What priority are such problems given, and how is this priority status (or not) arrived at?

Is POP given a similar priority to male sexual problems?

How is pain and discomfort from a POP assessed?

What choice does a woman have as to whether to have surgery or not, especially in the light of the possible need for a repeated operation and possible side-effects (nerve damage, scar tissue, loss of sexual function and continence.)

What literature is available to women in the UK re:

1. What prolapse is. Types. Causes.
2. Management of prolapse in general and at work.
3. What NHS care pathways is.
4. Remedies if any.
5. What NHS centres of support can assist, and in what ways.

There is very little information out here about this seemingly grossly neglected area of medicine.

GPs, although they seem to vary in knowledge and opinion, in general do not seem well-informed on this matter, especially in the way it affects women's lives in general and at work.

What information / training is given to GPs re POPs?
Where could they access information about POPs?

Thank you,

Yours faithfully,

Pat.

Department of Health and Social Care

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For general health information you may also find it helpful to refer to
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Department of Health website’s [4]Frequently Asked Questions. 

Please note: as of 31 March 2011 it will no longer be possible to contact
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References

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2. http://www.nhs.uk/
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Department of Health and Social Care

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22/02/2011

 

DE00000593309

 

Dear [P. Smith],

 

Please see attached our response to your Freedom of Information request.
 
Yours sincerely,
 
Jamie Scott
Freedom of Information Officer
Department of Health

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Dear Department of Health,

Thank you for the list of links.

Who WOULD hold the information / statistics that I have requested?

Thank you,

Yours faithfully,

[P. Smith]

Department of Health and Social Care

Thank you for contacting the Department of Health.
This is an acknowledgement - it does not require a response.
Where a reply is appropriate we aim to send one within 20 working days.
If you have contacted the Department of Health about a current health or
social care campaign, please visit the [1]Department's website where a
response may have been published.

If your enquiry is about a medical matter, please contact NHS Direct on
0845 4647 or visit [2]NHS Choices, or contact your GP surgery.

For general health information you may also find it helpful to refer to
[3]Directgov, the UK Government’s Official information website, or the
Department of Health website’s [4]Frequently Asked Questions. 

Please note that from 1 April 2011 you will no longer be able to contact
the Department of Health through the DHMail email address. To contact the
Department of Health in future, please visit the [5]contact page on the
Department’s website.

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References

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http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/FAQ/index.htm
2. http://www.nhs.uk/
3. http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/index.htm
4. http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/FAQ/index.htm
5. http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/ContactUs/DH_066...

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Dear Department of Health,

? Sorry I could not access the email.

Yours faithfully,

[P. Smith]

Department of Health and Social Care

Dear [P. Smith],

Thank you for your correspondence.  I apologise if you were unable to read
our response - this is a problem we are having with the WhatDoTheyKnow
website that we are currently in the process of rectifying.  Please see
below the full text of the response to your request.

Thank you for your patience in this matter,

Jamie Scott

Freedom of Information Officer
Department of Health

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Dear Department of Health,

Thank you for your response.

Yours faithfully,

[P. Smith]

Dear Department of Health,

How are GPs and Consultants, and other relevant NHS personnal TRAINED in Pelvic Organ Prolapse?

Is there an official syllabus re Pelvic Organ Prolapse? Please could you provide a copy of this, or point me to where we can obtain a copy?

What would account for the belittling and dismissive attitudes that women can experience from "the professionals" regarding POP when they seek help and understanding, or merely the vital information that they need to be able to manage it, decide on whether to have an op. or not?

It appears that women undergo an op. for POP without all the information they require, in ignorance of possible side - effects??? Has this been investigated? How true is it? How widespread?

How are the effects of POP on women's daily lives, work, love lives, etc. officially conveyed to GPs etc? E.g. Re: The real life actual effect on someone's life of not being able to pass a stool without "splinting" or "digitation". What POP actually MEANS to someone.

Is there a UK NHS support group for women with POP issues, discomfort, pain, management, social and sexual effetcs etc etc that would provide them with the infomation they need in order to make good decisions about how to manage POP, and whether or not to have an operation?

Thank you.

Yours faithfully,

[P. Smith].

Department of Health and Social Care

Thank you for contacting the Department of Health.
This is an acknowledgement - please do not reply to this email.
Where a reply is appropriate, we aim to send one within 18 working days or
20 working days if your query is a Freedom of Information request.
If you have contacted the Department of Health about a current health or
social care campaign, please visit the [1]Department's website where a
response may have been published.

If your enquiry is about a medical matter, please contact NHS Direct on
0845 4647 or visit [2]NHS Choices, or contact your GP surgery.

For general health information you may also find it helpful to refer to
[3]Directgov, the UK Government’s Official information website, or the
Department of Health website’s [4]Frequently Asked Questions. 

Please note that the Department of Health does not process complaints
about the NHS or social services. If you wish to make a complaint about a
healthcare professional, an NHS organisation or a social care provider,
please visit the '[5]Making a complaint' page on the Department's website.

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2. http://www.nhs.uk/
3. http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/index.htm
4. http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/FAQ/index.htm
5. http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/ContactUs/Compla...

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Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or
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