SEIZING THE OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE PATIENT CARE: Pelvic Floor services in 2021 and beyond

Practical recommendations to address inequalities in care for patients with pelvic floor disorders and to improve services for the future

Action needed to address stark inequalities in care across UK pelvic floor services

WFIPP welcomes the findings of a new report which reveals significant short-comings in the care of UK patients with pelvic floor disorders (PFDs), and provides recommendations on six areas for change to improve outcomes.

The report authors call for urgent action to improve treatment and access to surgery, highlighting that PFD patients have been neglected for years. The COVID-19 pandemic has magnified pre-existing disparities in services, leading to significant delays in treatment access. However, it also offers opportunity to change models of care.

To address a lack of ‘joined-up’ services, the report offers national recommendations that call for health bodies and the Government to adopt changes, as well as local recommendations aimed at healthcare professionals working day-to-day with patients.

The proposed areas for change are:

  1. Educate patients, healthcare professionals and the public about PFDs and their treatment
  2. Use technology to improve patient care e.g., virtual consultations
  3. Integrate expertise across the country to ensure patients consistently receive expert care, from the community to the hospital
  4. Rethink surgical procedures and premises to free up operating theatre capacity
  5. Optimise collaboration among PFD specialists and make use of available skills e.g., nurse and allied health professional-led procedures
  6. Consider public-private partnerships to address capacity issues for surgery

‘Seizing the opportunity to improve patient care: Pelvic floor services in 2021 and beyond’ is launched by The Pelvic Floor Society and endorsed by 10 health professional societies and patient organisations.

COVID-19 has magnified pre-existing disparities in PFD services, but also offers opportunity to change models of care. The report is authored by over 30 PFD experts.

We encourage you all to give your comments. Each page of the site has an open form for people to say what they think – comments from health professionals, experiences of patients, point out what hasn’t been said but needs to be, what more should be done – we want to hear it all.

Please go to the Microsite where the full report and the following documents are available:

  1. Press release – you can take information from this for your news pages/any communications
  2. News summary – 250 words for shorter articles/posts
  3. News snippet – 100 words for even shorter posts!
  4. Social Media Posts – we’ve included suggested text and graphics sized/designed for Twitter, Facebook and Linked-In – all downloadable in neat folders!
  5. Videos from panel members – short and subtitled – for posting on social media or websites
  6. Stand-alone letter from the authors of the report
  7. Editable letter for Health Professionals to edit and personalise  – we’d like people to use this to send to their Hospital Trust management, healthcare leaders etc
  8. Editable letter for people living with pelvic floor disorders – we’d like people to share this with their MP and Hospital Trust CEO/Chair and other influential people

 

#ActionOnPelvicFloor #PelvicFloorReport #ImprovePFServices