Stoma care

Our specialist stoma nurses provide care and support for patients who have had a surgical procedure to create a stoma and also support for family members and carers. The specialist nurses also provide education for all health care professionals.

Our specialist stoma nurses provide:

• pre-operative information and education for patients preparing for stoma forming surgery surgery including, ileostomy, colostomy and urostomy formation
• post-operative teaching to facilitate self-care of stoma
• physical and psychological support for patients with stomas and their families/carers
• assessment of the stoma and addressing any problems such as prolapse, hernia, sore skin, and a high output
• assessment of the patient's ability to cope with the stoma
• assessment of product usage and ensure cost effective prescription
• follow up as necessary, minimum annually
• liaise with other healthcare professionals as required

Our specialist stoma care nurses care for people who are residing in Barnet, Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster.

• Clinics are based within Finchley Memorial Hospital, Chelsea & Westminster Hospital and St Mary's Hospital.

• Care and advice for all patients with new or established stomas
• Care also for patients with fistulae, ileo-anal pouches and those requiring anal-irrigation
• Home visits from the specialist stoma care nurse post discharge
• Additional home visits are arranged if necessary, working with GPs, district nurses and other agencies
• Telephone contact and clinic follow-up

Our specialist stoma nurses work with a variety of healthcare professionals, depending on patient needs, including:

• hospital surgical teams
• GPs
• district nurses
• carers and family

Our stoma care nursing team include the following specialists

• Specialist stoma care nurses

Patients can be referred by their GP, hospital consultant or other healthcare professional.

Patients are able to self-refer into our stoma care service.

We always welcome feedback on your experience of using our services. If you do have feedback please use our online form.

Example:
You said: "Using a stoma has really affected my confidence, I don't want to go out and I feel depressed."

We assess the psychological wellbeing of stoma patients and monitor it. They receive psychological treatment if needed.

If you would like to read other examples of how we respond to feedback, please read our 'You said, we did' section.

The stoma care nursing service is available to all patients regardless of whether a patient:

• has a new or established stoma
• is preparing for surgery
• needs advice following the closure of the stoma

Patients have to be living in, or registered with a GP, in Barnet, Kensington & Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham, or Westminster to access our services in that borough.

• Basic demographic information
• Reason for referral
• Any relevant notes and conditions

Patients in Barnet can be referred to:

Louise Foulds and Breege O'Neill
Finchley Memorial Hospital
P: 020 8349 7529
F: 020 8349 7479

Patients in Kensington and Chelsea can be referred to: 

Amanda Gunning and Melanie Jerome
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
P: 020 8746 5911
F: 020 8746 8629

Patients in North Westminster can be referred to: 

Jane Blizzard
St Mary's Hospital
P: 020 7886 1306
F: 020 7886 6056

0 to 5 days depending on urgency.

The core hours of our stoma nursing service are: 

Monday - 08.30 to 16.30
Tuesday - 08.30 to 16.30
Wednesday - 08.30 to 16.30
Thursday - 08.30 to 16.30
Friday - 08.30 to 16.30
Saturday - Closed
Sunday - Closed 

Bank holidays - Closed

Patients requiring onigoing stoma care support are discharged if they move out of area or no longer require the service.

Referrers can contact our stoma care nursing service managers with any queries they have about our stoma care service.

Claire Halkyard
Specialist Nursing Service Manager
P: 0207 963 2476
E: claire.halkyard@clch.nhs.uk