Freedom of Information Request – Ref: FOI 015-2026
Thank you for your recent Freedom of Information request. Please find our response below.
You asked:
1. Does your Trust currently provide an adult continence assessment service for individuals aged 18 years and over? (Yes/No)
If No, please provide the name of the provider that delivers continence assessments for this age group in your area.
If Yes, please provide:
- The name of the service (if applicable).
- The age range it covers.
- The staff roles or disciplines included in the service (e.g. nurse, physiotherapist, occupational therapist).
- The number of staff in each role, expressed as whole-time equivalent (WTE).
- The service’s referral pathway (e.g. GP, , self-referral).
2. Does your Trust currently provide an adult continence product provision service (e.g. absorbent pads or continence products) for individuals aged 18 years and over? (Yes/No)
If No, please provide the name of the provider responsible for product provision for this age group.
If Yes, please provide the following information:
- The name of the service (if applicable).
- The age range it covers.
- The staff roles or disciplines included in the service (e.g. nurse, physiotherapist, occupational therapist).
- The number of staff in each role, expressed as whole-time equivalent (WTE).
- The service’s referral pathway (e.g. GP, , self-referral).
3. Has your Trust closed, reduced or restructured any part of its adult continence and/or bladder and bowel service since October 2022? (Yes/No)
If yes, please provide:
- The date of closure or reduction.
- A brief description of what changed (e.g. staffing, eligibility criteria, service capacity).
4. What is the average waiting time (in weeks) on the waiting list for this service for:
- An initial assessment within the adult continence service
- Access to continence products through the adult continence service
5. What is the current number of adults on the waiting list for this service for:
- An initial assessment within the adult continence service
- Access to continence products through the adult continence service
6. What is the number of adults on your caseload that have faecal incontinence? If this data is not captured, please state “Not captured” in your response.
7. Does your Trust follow or implement the following national guidance and professional standards for continence care and management? Please indicate Yes or No for each
- Lower urinary tract symptoms in men: management (NICE), with particular reference to clause 1.3.3, which focuses on the idea of providing a choice of containment products to manage storage LUTS (particularly urinary incontinence) based on individual circumstances and in consultation with the man.
- Lower urinary tract symptoms in men (NICE)
- Faecal incontinence in adults (NICE), with particular reference to the “Appropriate products” section, on pg. 18, which states:
These are continence or bowel management products that are appropriate to the person’s circumstances, taking into account their preferences. These may include:
-
- disposable body-worn pads in a choice of styles and designs, and disposable bed pads if needed
- pads in quantities sufficient for the person’s continence needs (it is inappropriate to limit the number of pads given)
- Recommendations | Urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse in women: management | Guidance | NICE
- Guidance for the provision of absorbent products for adult incontinence, produced by the Association for Continence Professionals and the Royal College of Nursing (2019), with particular reference to Sections 4.1, 10, which states:
“The number of absorbent products issued per 24 hours must meet assessed clinical need, although some localities apply restrictions. As part of the continence assessment process a validated scoring system might be used to objectively measure ‘clinical need’ in continence care. Products must be provided to meet patients’ fundamental care needs, including maintaining independence.” (Murphy et al., 2019)
Our response:
The Trust does not provide the service mentioned in your request. Please re-direct your request to Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust at ghn-tr.foi@nhs.net.
Next steps:
Should you have any queries in relation to our response, please do not hesitate to contact us. If you are unhappy with the response you have received in relation to your request and wish to ask us to review our response, you should write to:
Louise Moss
Head of Legal Services / Associate Director of Corporate Governance
c/o Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
Edward Jenner Court
1010 Pioneer Avenue
Gloucester Business Park
Brockworth, GL3 4AW
E-mail: louise.moss@ghc.nhs.uk
If you are not content with the outcome of any review, you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for further advice/guidance. Generally, the ICO will not consider your case unless you have exhausted your enquiries with the Trust which should include considering the use of the Trust’s formal complaints procedure. The ICO can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.