Experts say thousands of patients who need a catheter to go to the toilet are suffering from serious bladder infections because the NHS is not removing them in time.
The flexible tube, which is used to empty the bladder and collect the urine in a collection bag, has been used in the UK for many years by around 90,000 people.
The device should be replaced every three months or removed within three days if a patient begins to show signs of a bladder infection.
According to The Mail on Sunday, there is a shortage of nurses qualified to remove the tubes, forcing many patients to use catheters that are full of bacteria, often ending up in the emergency room with serious infections.
Patients who use a catheter should also be given antibiotics for bladder infections as soon as possible. However, experts say many patients have to wait weeks before they can see a doctor who can prescribe the tablets.
Thousands of patients who need a catheter to go to the toilet are suffering from painful bladder infections because the NHS is not removing them in time (Stock Image)
The Mail on Sunday has learned that a shortage of nurses qualified to remove the tubes means many patients are being forced to use catheters contaminated with bacteria (Stock Image)
Shockingly, some patients with contaminated catheters have been asked to change the tubes themselves, a complicated task known as self-catheterization that many people struggle with.
One patient struggling to access catheter care through the NHS is Evan Francis, 28, from the Isle of Sheppey. He has been to A&E eight times since April with bladder infections.
The public relations professional suffers from Fowler’s syndrome, a bladder condition that prevents young women from urinating normally. Since Evans’ catheter was inserted in January, she has had a new bladder infection almost every month.
The infections leave Evan with debilitating back pain and a constant feeling that he needs to urinate.
Antibiotics can treat the worst form of the infection, but if the catheter is not removed, the bacteria will inevitably return.
However, Evan says hospital doctors have repeatedly refused to replace the contaminated catheters with new ones. “When I come to the emergency department with pain, I’m told the doctors there aren’t trained to remove catheters,” Evan says.
‘So I have to wait until my next appointment with the nurse, which means I could be going on for two months with a catheter full of bacteria.’
After repeated complaints, Evan was told she could change the catheters herself at home, but she was unable to do so.
“It’s a tricky thing that not everyone can master,” she says. “And if you do it wrong, it can lead to more infections.”
‘I know so many other women who have had similar experiences. It feels like we are being fobbed off by the NHS.’ Catheters are given to patients who cannot control their bladder.
Patients with catheters should also be given immediate antibiotics to combat bladder infections, but experts say many must wait weeks to see a doctor (stock image)
There are two types of catheters used in the NHS. Some people use a temporary device called an intermittent catheter, which is inserted when the patient needs to go to the toilet. Once the bladder is empty, the catheter is removed.
However, most people prefer an indwelling catheter, a catheter that stays in place for weeks and is connected to a bag that is clipped to the leg or waist, because it is more convenient. However, indwelling catheters significantly increase the risk of bladder infections.
‘The urinary tract contains several types of cells that fight incoming infections,’ says Professor Roger Bayston, a surgical infection specialist at the University of Nottingham.
“But if you insert a catheter, bacteria can travel up the tube, bypass the protective cells, and enter the bladder.”
Research shows that approximately one in ten catheter patients suffers from recurrent bladder infections caused by the catheter.
“We have seen patients with bladder infections resulting from catheterisation that were so severe they were on the verge of suicide,” said Prof Bayston.
In the US, most patients have their catheters changed every month, but in the UK this is done every 12 weeks.
A catheter should be removed sooner if there are signs of infection. This is usually done by community nurses, doctors who make home visits. However, experts say that this is often not done.
“There is a shortage of community nurses, which means some patients have to wait a long time before their catheter can be changed,” said Prof Bayston.
An NHS specialist, who asked not to be named, said: ‘The catheter care in some care homes is just plain poor. Residents are having to walk around with catheters for far too long, and as a result there are more infections.’
One solution might be to create a catheter that repels infections.
However, experts say health tech companies are not interested in funding trials. Another important change, they add, would be allowing nurses to prescribe antibiotics for catheter infections.
NHS England has been contacted for comment.
