STOP THIS SUFFERING

NURSES, carers and politicians are all backing a major campaign to stop spinal cord injured patients suffering appalling neglect by being denied essential bowel care

Politicians of all parties came together in Parliament to hear calls for an end to the “needless suffering” experienced in a medical setting by many whose bladder and bowel function is affected by injury

The Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) says specialist bowel care is an issue that has been routinely ignored by policy makers for years, with serious consequences for patients

A spinal cord injury affects all bodily functions below the point of injury including bladder and bowel function

Many patients have told the charity shocking stories of neglect, like Heather Scott from Leicestershire

She said: “I was instructed to get on with my own bowel care even if that meant messing the bed, so I soiled myself many times Humiliated

“I’ve been spinal cord injured for over 40 years and have never felt as humiliated and frustrated as I did then ”

Another, Terry Turner from Liverpool, said of his experience of poor bowel care: “If that was animals in a zoo the bosses would be jailed, and the zoo closed down ”