Continence services report

Healthwatch Sefton attended the Sefton Dementia Provider Forum meeting held on 29th November 2017 at the Sefton Corporate Learning Centre, Ainsdale. Healthwatch Sefton had previously attended a forum meeting earlier in the year when issues around the continence service delivered across Sefton were raised. Healthwatch Sefton, with permission from the forum, invited along Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust to attend the November 2017 meeting to listen to feedback and experiences from providers on accessing the continence service. Due to circumstances on the day the Trust were unable to attend. During the meeting Healthwatch Sefton asked members about their experiences of the service and from the initial feedback a decision was made by Healthwatch Sefton to carry out a wider survey to determine ‘What worked well’ with the continence service and ‘What improvements could be made’.

The key findings from the report highlight 22 of the 29 care homes were not clear as to who provided the continence service for the residents. Communication channels were highlighted as an issue for care homes with the continence service. 71% (71.43%) of respondents stated they felt residents did not receive enough continence products to meet their individual needs. 83% (82.76%) of respondents stated that it was not easy to refer a new resident into the continence service so that they received their products in good time. 79% (79.31%) of respondents answered NO to the question ‘ Does the continence service provider consult with you or the resident and provide an individual review to ensure the correct continence products are issued including the correct size of pads to meet the resident’s needs’ . 52% (51.73%) of respondents reported that it was either ‘Not easy’, ‘Difficult’, or ‘Very difficult’ to order continence products from the service provider. 48% (48.27%) stated they felt it was ‘Very easy’ or ‘Easy’. 79% (79.31%) of respondents rated the quality of continence products received as either ‘Average’, ‘Good’ or ‘Very good’. 72% (72.41%) of respondents felt the continence service did not work well for residents. 65.5% (65.52%) of respondents stated they felt they could not get in touch with the service provider when they needed to. 62% of respondents stated they felt residents experienced a lack of dignity and respect in relation to receiving continence products.