NHS England and Improvement is reviewing the management of constipation in children and in adults with Learning Disabilities and/or Autism.
It is the intention that findings from this review can be used to inform service change, provide evidence-based approaches and identify best practice.
Background
The LeDeR annual report for 2019 includes the recommendation that a national clinical audit of adults and children admitted to hospital for a condition related to chronic constipation should be carried out. The report found that constipation was one of the five most common long-term health conditions reported in completed reviews (23%) and a third of people (33%) were prescribed laxatives to treat constipation.
We want to hear from parent carers about their experiences:
We are keen to understand the causes of hospitalisation as a result of constipation and to outline best practice approaches to reduce these incidences of poor outcomes for young people and their families. We would like to hear about your experiences accessing services for your young people.
We have developed a short survey, which should take only 5 minutes to complete.
Your feedback will be part of a wider review/audit that we are undertaken, and will be used alongside, clinical evidence and best practice to inform service redesign.
NHS England and Improvement is reviewing the management of constipation in children and in adults with Learning Disabilities and/or Autism.
It is the intention that findings from this review can be used to inform service change, provide evidence-based approaches and identify best practice.
Background
The LeDeR annual report for 2019 includes the recommendation that a national clinical audit of adults and children admitted to hospital for a condition related to chronic constipation should be carried out. The report found that constipation was one of the five most common long-term health conditions reported in completed reviews (23%) and a third of people (33%) were prescribed laxatives to treat constipation.
We want to hear from parent carers about their experiences:
We are keen to understand the causes of hospitalisation as a result of constipation and to outline best practice approaches to reduce these incidences of poor outcomes for young people and their families. We would like to hear about your experiences accessing services for your young people.
We have developed a short survey, which should take only 5 minutes to complete.
Your feedback will be part of a wider review/audit that we are undertaken, and will be used alongside, clinical evidence and best practice to inform service redesign.
Constipation is very common in children, it affects 1 in 3 children, even babies. How can you tell if a child is constipated?
Children should pass soft poo every day, or at least every other day.
Pooing fewer than 4 times a week also means poo is in a traffic jam.
Pooing more than 3 times a day can be a sign that the bowel is full and is leaking out a bit at a time.
Soiling. It might be hard bits, soft stuff or even liquid bypassing the traffic jam, called overflow.
Big poos, or lots of poo all at once
Tummy ache or pain when they poo
Distended/swollen tummy
Really smelly poo/wind, or bad breath
They might not feel like eating, or even feel sick
The full bowel might press on the bladder and cause frequent small wees/urgency/day or night-time wetting/urinary tract infections (UTIs).
We would really like you to complete this short survey to help us understand your experiences so we can improve services. Please note when we use 'child' in the questions below we are referring to a child or young person up to the age of 18.
Review of Constipation Management in Children has finished this stage
This survey is open for contributions.
The survey closed on 24 June 2021
Review of Constipation Management in Children is currently at this stage
Contributions to this survey are closed for evaluation and review. The project team will report back on key outcomes.
Final report
this is an upcoming stage for Review of Constipation Management in Children
The final outcomes of this review are documented here. This may include a summary of all contributions collected as well as recommendations for future action.
