1. What action will the Cabinet Secretary take to improve services for people with bladder and bowel problems in Wales in the next 12 months? (OAQ51099)

Thank you for the question. Bladder and bowel problems can affect people of all ages for a variety of reasons. They can cause significant distress, inconvenience and impact considerably on the lives of those affected. These types of problems may cross a number of specialities, and I’m pleased to note that NHS Wales is taking action to co-ordinate services, for example, through the work of the Welsh urology board.

Thank you very much for the reply, Minister. Sacral nerve stimulation is a therapy to help those who experience the embarrassment, discomfort and pain of bladder and bowel problems. It is, quite simply, a life-changing treatment. However, funding for sacral nerve stimulation is limited, and there is no centre in Wales to carry out the required procedures, with patients having to travel to England for treatment. Cabinet Secretary, I met a consultant only last week who said this very reasonable and cheap treatment is available in England—and in this country also, the professionals are here—to plant a very simple chip at the back of the body that controls the bladder, and which is a very simple way to give comfort to our senior citizens, especially as 90 per cent are ladies who suffer with this. What action will the Cabinet Secretary take to improve access to sacral nerve stimulation treatments for our dear old mothers and fathers, for a quality of life with bladder and bowel problems, to improve their quality of life in Wales? Thank you.

Thank you for the follow-up question. I’ve actually had a number of meetings with my colleague the Member for Cardiff Central, Jenny Rathbone, on this issue, because of the particular challenges about women who suffer faecal incontinence injuries during childbirth, where the significant problem is. I don’t quite recognise the issue that the Member raises about this being an issue that affects senior citizens primarily, but my concern is that in Wales we have a treatment that is NICE recommended. It is not consistently available within Wales at present—people are travelling outside of Wales on a commission basis to have the treatment made available—and so, I have, following a meeting with Jenny Rathbone some months ago, indicated to the service that I wish to see a more consistent approach being taken. Previously, unfortunately, a number of people were being told to use the IPFR process. This is one of the issues where the IPFR process was being misused, because this is a NICE-approved treatment. It is not an IPFR treatment. It is for the service to develop a properly consistent approach to an issue that is relatively common. So, I look forward to seeing the plans that will now come from the task and finish group being set up, led by Julie Cornish, a specialist colorectal surgeon based in Cwm Taf university health board, who is leading that work. We should then have a plan to deliver a more consistent service for women in Wales who do deserve to have that treatment available on that basis.

Cabinet Secretary, obviously bladder problems can result in people being catheterised for a variety of reasons. In a recent coroner’s report on a death in a nursing home within my constituency, in Cymmer, the coroner’s narrative actually indicated that there was inadequate training of staff, and a person who was catheterised long term suffered as a consequence and died. Will you ensure that health boards are fully aware of the training that needs to be put into place to deal with residents and patients who are catheterised for long periods, so that they’re not put in a position where they may end up with infections and consequently septicaemia, which causes, ultimately, death?

I thank you for the question and raising the issue about careless undertakings in residential facilities, not just within hospitals or homecare based. Actually, there is a challenge here about what is a not unusual process that’s undertaken, and actually it’s relatively simple; the challenge here is about how blocked catheters are dealt with and the proper care. So, I’ll certainly take it up and look again at the issue about how we try and ensure that when we’re commissioning care in the social care sector, we understand what we’re commissioning, the quality of care provided, but also that healthcare professionals understand their responsibilities around what is, essentially, a basic element of care and treatment for citizens in whichever part of the healthcare system they happen to be in.