The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust Rotherham Continence Prescription Service Community Continence Service patientinformation Your health, your life, your choice, our passion
Hearing about your experience of our services is very important as it means we can pass compliments to our staff and make improvements where necessary. Tell us what you think at feedback@rothgen.nhs.uk If you require this document in another language, large print, braille or audio version, please contact Patient Information on 01709 424281 or email patientinformation@rothgen.nhs.uk
Introduction You have been registered with the Continence Prescription Service. Specialist continence nurses are now responsible for prescribing your continence products. Your specialist nurses are: Liz Beckitt / Debbie Lawrence / Joanne Mangnall They can be contacted by telephone 01709 423369, Monday to Friday (closed on public holidays) and will be able to help and advise you with any product related problems or general continence care issues you might have. While you are registered with our service your product needs will be reviewed at regular intervals and you will be offered the opportunity to try different brands of products where appropriate. At times we may need to liaise with other health care professionals involved with your care to ensure we are prescribing the most appropriate products for your specific needs. When you contact our service to order your prescription you will be asked if you have experienced any problems since your last prescription was issued. It is important that you tell us if you have experienced any skin reactions or urine infections so we can review your product needs accordingly. This information booklet explains the procedure for ordering your prescription. It also contains some basic continence advice. If you wish to discuss your specific continence care needs contact the specialist nurses on 01709 423369. 3
How to order your prescription l The prescription telephone line is open Monday to Friday, 8.00am to 4.00pm. l A prescription coordinator, answers all calls and liaises with the clinical nurse specialists, pharmacies and delivery companies to ensure any problems you might have are addressed and that you receive the products you need quickly. l An automated telephone system is in operation, this means if the prescription coordinator is already taking a call you will automatically hear a recorded message asking you to leave a message. l If you hear the recorded message, please leave your contact details and your call will be returned. Repeatedly calling and hanging up if you hear the recorded message blocks the telephone system. l When you speak with the prescription co-ordinator she will ask you three or four questions about how you have been managing since your last prescription was issued. Please answer these questions honestly as this will enable us to ensure you are prescribed products which are best suited to your clinical needs. l Your prescription will usually be for one month s supply of products. 4
Getting your prescription dispensed A prescription for continence products is the same as a prescription for tablets. The same prescription charges and exemptions apply. The items listed on your continence prescription need to be dispensed by a pharmacy or Dispensing Appliance Company (DAC). When you call the prescription line you will be asked where you would like us to send your prescription for dispensing. You have three choices: 1. We can post the prescription to your home address; you can then take or send it to a pharmacy or DAC of you choice. It is your responsibility to then arrange if you will collect your products or if they will be delivered to you. 2. We can post your prescription directly to a pharmacy of your choice. You will then need to go to the pharmacy and collect your products. In many cases pharmacies do deliver prescriptions, if your pharmacy offers this service we can send them a letter asking for your products to be delivered directly to you. 3. We can post your prescription directly to a DAC of your choice. In order to ensure a speedy service we will ring the DAC before we post the prescription to place your order; your products are then posted out to you, usually within 24 to 48 hours. You can select any of these options, in some cases people use a combination. 5
Your products Once your prescription has been dispensed and you have your products it is important to check that what you have is exactly what you need. If you are unsure you have received the correct items ring the service immediately so that we can check on your behalf. It is important that you store your products correctly. All products should be stored away from direct heat, damp, dirt and dust. Products must be stored in their original packaging until you actually use them. This ensures sterile items remain sterile and that we can identify batch numbers if we are asked to re-call products which may be faulty. It is good to keep a small stock of your products to ensure you do not run out; however this should not be more than one week s supply. When you receive new products make sure you use your older stock first to ensure good stock control. If you keep large amounts of stock and do not check expiry dates there is a risk of items becoming out of date, this can place you at risk of infection or skin damage if they are then used. 6
Use your products as advised. If you feel your product is causing problems let us know so we can look for alternatives for you. Please do not make your own adaptations as this can make the product unsafe and place you at risk. You will be told which products can be washed and re-used and which need to be used once and thrown away. If you are unsure contact us for advice. If you experience any problems with products leaking or not performing adequately let us know immediately. We will ask you to keep the product so that we can collect it, arrange de-contamination and return the product to the manufacturer for investigation. We will need to know the product batch number and the exact nature of the problem you have experienced. It is important all problems of this nature are reported. 7
General advice l A good fluid intake is essential for anyone who experiences continence problems. If you are unsure that you are drinking the correct amount of fluid contact the service and one of the nurses will be able to advise you. In some cases such as people with heart or kidney problems you may have been advised to restrict your fluid intake, this advice should always be followed. l Continence problems may increase your risk of developing skin problems. Any skin soreness should be reported so that a review with the clinical nurse specialist can be arranged. l It is advisable to avoid becoming constipated as many people report this leads to increased bladder problems. If you would like further advice regarding this please contact the service for advice. l RADAR keys enable you to access all disabled toilets. These toilets are accessible to wheelchair users and have sinks within the toilet area. Please contact RADAR disability network on 0207 250 3222 for information on obtaining a key. Alternatively you can visit their website: www.radar.org.uk l If you are interested in finding out about new products or contributing to service developments you might like to consider attending our service user meetings. You can find out details of forthcoming meetings by contacting the service and asking for details about the service user group. 8
Disposing of your used products Contact the service for advice about disposing of used products and equipment. 9
How to contact us Community Continence Service Rotherham Community Health Centre Greasbrough Road Rotherham S60 1RY General Continence Service Telephone 01709 423240 Continence Prescription Service Telephone 01709 423369 Useful contact numbers NHS Direct Telephone 0845 4647 Health Info Telephone 01709 427190 Stop Smoking Service Telephone 01709 422444 Patient Services Telephone 01709 424461 A&E Telephone 01709 424455 For GP out of hours, contact your surgery Useful websites www.nhs.uk www.direct.gov.uk www.therotherhamft.nhs.uk We value your comments If you have any comments or concerns about the care we have provided please let us know, or alternatively you can write to: Patient Services The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust Rotherham Hospital Moorgate Road Oakwood Rotherham S60 2UD Telephone 01709 424461 Email complaints@rothgen.nhs.uk Produced by Rotherham Continence Prescription Service. November 2012. Revision due November 2014. Version: 1.0 The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust 2012. All rights reserved. 10
How to find us Rotherham Community Health Centre main routes A6123 A6123 Greasbrough St Rotherham Community Health Centre Keppel Wharf Greasbrough Rd Greasbrough Rd Northfield Rd Keppel Wharf Centenary Way Rawmarsh Rd Keppel Wharf A6021 Effingham St Kenneth St Shaftesbury Square Centenary Way Norfolk St St Ann s Rd A633 St Ann s Roundabout St Ann s Rd A629 College Rd Roundabout Centenary Way Centenary Way Bridge St Greasbrough Rd Water St Henry St A6021 Wharncliffe St Norfolk St College Rd ROTHERHAM CENTRAL TRAIN STATION Keppel Wharf Keppel Wharf A6021 Rotherham Hospital main routes To Leeds Parkgate To Doncaster 35 Thorpe Hesley B6089 A633 M1 North 34 South 34 To Sheffield Kimberworth Park A629 Kimberworth A6109 A631 Woodside Brinsworth 33 TOWN Clifton CENTRE A618 A631 East Dene Rotherham Hospital Moorgate A6123 Whiston Herringthorpe A631 M1 Wickersley Bramley 32 A631 To A1, M62 & Hull M18 1 To Sheffield Treeton A618 M1 To Nottingham and the South
Sustainable Forests / Low chlorine LS 55 11/12 V1 WFO Rotherham Hospital Moorgate Road Oakwood Rotherham S60 2UD Telephone 01709 820000 www.therotherhamft.nhs.uk