CARE CRISIS
Nurses and carers waste 255 hours a year changing poor incontinence products, report finds
Plus, all the different types of incontinence and the signs to look out for
NURSES and care home staff waste 255 hours a year changing poor incontinence products, report finds
There are currently 164,833 people in residential care and nursing homes who experience difficulty with bladder or bowel control.
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Below-par incontinence products, like pads, mean nurses must spend additional time looking after these patients.
New insight suggests the average patient in a hospital or care home setting with the inability to self-manage their condition will demand 75 minutes of a carer’s time every day, covering up to five changes.
But those caring for these patients warn this is 78 per cent - or 42 minutes - longer than would be necessary if better fitting pads were procured.
Of the 500 nurses and carers polled, 49 per cent admit they are not fulfilling the needs of their patients because too much time is spent trying to work with improper materials.
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While others said their duties are hampered by patients who have not benefited from a personal assessment, which is often replaced with a ‘one size fits all’ approach (53 per cent).
With an improved approach to continence services, procurement practices, and better patient services, nurses and carers predict they could carry out two fewer changes daily, reducing each change by four minutes.
Richard Maddison of Essity, which has carried out multiple studies into incontinence care products, said: “This is another example of the false economy procurement process within the NHS driven by a government that is failing to look at the bigger picture.
“Healthcare professionals are crying out for products that are fit for purpose, that enable them to do their jobs more efficiently, and that would actually save the NHS time and money as a result.
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“The irony is that by focusing on value rather than cost during the procurement process, the government could improve patient outcomes, free up nurses to provide better care to more patients and save millions of pounds squandered on lower quality products. It’s a win-win situation.”
The research revealed the average incontinence carer polled brings home an average annual salary of £27,652.
This means longer and more frequent patient changes effectively cost up to £3,620.44 per carer per year.
This leads to 47 per cent worrying about other patients who might not end up receiving the broader care they need because they are spending too much time providing wrap-around care to patients with incontinence.
Those questioned via OnePoll believe 24 per cent of patients would be able to self-manage their incontinence care if better products, education, and information were more readily available.
Patient dignity is of the utmost importance, but this becomes more difficult to manage
Tracy Evans
And for those directly responsible for patient changes, 83 per cent admitted their biggest concern was maintaining the dignity of that person.
While 74 per cent worry how unnecessarily upsetting or disturbing the changes could be, or how the patient might feel at the time (72 per cent).
More than one in 10 (12 per cent) have real concerns about bed blocking - again, something they feel could be avoided, which circles back to the inability to provide care to a wider patient network.
Tracy Evans, an NHS continence clinical nurse specialist who participated in one of Essity's studies, added: “Patient dignity is of the utmost importance, but this becomes more difficult to manage with frequent changes.
“There are two things which could ultimately lead to shorter, more manageable incontinence changes – an individualised holistic assessment leading to a personal plan for every patient, and a more sophisticated procurement programme like evidence-based holistic care.
“Both of these would immediately benefit those trying to manage their incontinence and, in turn, free up our nurses to provide care for others who desperately need their time.”
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Figures were calculated by Essity using Data sourced from retirement home finder lottie.org.
They calculated that nurses and carers spend 42 minutes per day extra tending to those with incontinence. This, multiplied by one year (365 days) comes to 255.5 hours of changes a year.
What is incontinence?
Incontinence is a common condition and happens because of problems with the muscles and nerves that help the bladder hold or release urine.
You may leak urine when you cough or sneeze.
Or you may have a sudden urge to go but can’t get to the bathroom in time.
What are the different kinds of urinary incontinence?
There are five basic types:
- Stress incontinence causes you to leak urine when you sneeze, cough, laugh, lift heavy objects, exercise, or do other things that put pressure on your bladder
- Urge incontinence, also known as overactive bladder (OAB), is when you leak urine after feeling a sudden, strong urge to go
- You may have OAB if you have to go eight or more times a day and more than once at night. Or you may feel the urge to go when you touch or hear running water. There’s also a dry form of OAB: You get the urge to go even if your bladder is empty
- Mixed incontinence is when you have stress and urge incontinence at the same time. This is more common in women.
- Overflow incontinence, which is more common in men, is when you are not able to empty your bladder completely, so you may leak urine once your bladder is full
- Functional incontinence happens when a medical condition, like arthritis, keeps you from getting to the bathroom in time
Source: WedMD