A CALL is being made for a parliamentary inquiry into the current state of bowel care for those requiring specialist care in NHS settings. There is a need for a national bowel care policy so that patients with spinal cord injury and some other conditions can be in any hospital and get the right care and treatment for managing their bowels.

“Are you one of these hospital-refusers?” the GP said, as he looked at his screen. I had a high temperature and some other symptoms but was saying I didn’t want to go to hospital.

What doctors don’t ask is why I have this fear of being admitted. As someone with spinal cord injuries (SCI) who has a neurogenic bowel because of my injuries, I have faced humiliating as well as very dangerous “bowel care.” I am now frightened about going into hospital and if I can avoid it, I will.

Now the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) is calling for a parliamentary inquiry into the life-threatening state of bowel care for those with SCI in healthcare settings.

Government officials were told at a recent roundtable meeting that an inquiry was needed to investigate the inadequate and dangerous state of bowel care for those with SCI. This meeting was hosted by the SIA with more than 30 representatives of the NHS spinal cord injury sector as well as MPs.

Proper bowel care management is a basic human right, yet it’s consistently the most challenging aspect of living with a spinal cord injury. Any healthcare setting should be a place where you feel safe in the knowledge that the right care will be delivered. So, why are some SCI patients terrified about going into hospital or left feeling humiliated following an admission into a non-specialist healthcare setting?

The SIA campaign #SeriousSh1t” is calling for a commitment to ensure all NHS healthcare providers have a fully implemented bowel care policy in place. Part of this campaign is to also get people talking about this issue.

SIA ambassador Jonathan Goodwin, who was left with SCI after a TV stunt went wrong, posted: “Without the correct care you are essentially filling up with poop and it is no laughing matter. As well as huge discomfort it can lead to dangerous conditions that could be life-threatening.”

Another SCI patient contacted SIA and said “I was instructed to get on with my own bowel care even if that meant messing the bed, so I soiled myself many times. I’ve been spinal cord injured for over 40 years and have never felt as humiliated and frustrated as I did then. I’m now terrified about going into hospital again.”

Campaigns manager Dharshana Sridhar said: “Our research proves that there is a postcode lottery at present in terms of the level of bowel care provided across the country.

“We are now pushing for a parliamentary select committee inquiry so that consensus can be reached on what actions need to be taken to affect the change that so many people desperately need.

“No-one is blaming nurses for this as training is key and the Department of Health and Social Care who were present at our meeting are listening. We need to ensure there is a consistently good level of care for these patients, a national bowel care policy and adequately trained nursing staff in all hospitals and healthcare settings.”

“Campaign for Change” partners with the SIA Hudgell Solicitors support this campaign and say improvements will benefit not only those with an SCI but also other patients that are in healthcare settings and require specialist bowel care.

Solicitor Elizabeth Maliakal, who attended the roundtable meeting, said lawyers commonly represent patients who have suffered both physically and psychologically due to a lack of bowel care policies at hospitals, and a lack of fully trained bowel care nurses within the NHS.

She said: “We see in our cases that very often when someone is admitted to hospital their bowel care can be delayed or not attended to at all, often impacting on their dignity and self-esteem, ultimately leading to poorer final outcomes.

“We fully support SIA’s call for an inquiry into this issue. The campaign is shining a light on bowel care in hospitals and improvements will benefit not only those with SCI but also other patients that are in hospital and require bowel care. For example, this will help those who are elderly as well as patients who have had abdominal surgery.”

Without a national bowel care policy in place, it is understandable why so many of us are “terrified about going into hospital,” or if we have a choice, refuse to be admitted. This can have a severe impact on our physical and mental health yet could be avoided so easily if such a policy and staff confidence in delivering this care were in place.  

Ruth F Hunt is a freelance journalist, columnist and author — www.ruthfhunt.co.uk.

Find out more about the campaign at Spinal.co.uk.