A new report reveals that peristomal skin complications (PSCs) cost England’s economy at least £28.1M per year.
There are approximately 148,886 people with a stoma in England and around 21,000 people have stoma surgery each year. Healthy peristomal skin is the foundation of living a good life with a stoma yet this is not everyone’s experience, as hospitals treat around 71,000 PSCs annually. To raise awareness of the issue, Hollister has partnered with Frontier Economics, an independent health economics specialist, to analyse the impact poor skin health has on the National Health System (NHS) and the wider economy.
The new report, titled:Skin First: counting the cost of peristomal skin complications, features research and expert insights from an independent advisory board. Among the key findings include:
- PSCs cost the England economy at least £28.1M, making up a significant proportion of the total cost of stoma care.
- Of this cost, £16.4M is healthcare costs to the NHS and £11.7M is non-financial quality of life losses to individuals with PSCs.
- Avoidable delays to treatment account for an additional £5.6M of costs to the economy.
PSCs are debilitating; preventing people from living a healthy and fulfilling life with a stoma. With support from the right clinicians, improved practices, and access to specialist products, many peristomal skin complications are avoidable. The findings demonstrate the importance of putting skin health first: each one of the estimated 71,000 PSCs each year that can be prevented will save England’s economy £396 on average.
Additionally, there is a clear need to ensure that stoma care nurses are fully resourced to avoid costly delays to treatment. This report shows just how valuable stoma care nurses are - when there is direct access to these specialists, costs to the UK economy can be reduced by up to 19 percent. Unfortunately, the current reality is that there is variable access to stoma care around England, meaning that there are regular delays to accessing care and people are living with peristomal skin complications for longer than they need to.
A survey to understand ostomates’ experiences with PSCs across the UK also reveals:
- Fewer than half of people with a stoma (40%) can easily identify what healthy peristomal skin should look like.
- Thirty per cent of people who have experienced a PSC in the last two years have had more than five PSCs.
- Over half of people with a peristomal skin complication (51%) use over the counter products to try to manage their condition.
- Almost fourteen per cent of people who have had a peristomal skin complication in the last two years have never spoken to a healthcare professional about it.
- Almost a third of people who have had a peristomal skin complication (32%) say that it has prevented them from enjoying their hobbies.
- Sixty-four per cent of those who had a PSC in the last two years said that it made them feel ‘irritable’ and ‘frustrated’, while 45% felt ‘anxious’ and 41% experienced ‘low mood/sadness’.
The findings highlight a clear need for better education and resources to help people with a stoma put their skin health first – to understand what healthy peristomal skin looks like and know how to reach out for help at the first sign of any problems.
The report and research demonstrate that the costs of peristomal skin complications are placing an avoidable burden on the NHS. To reduce this burden and improve care for patients, Hollister is calling for:
- Health systems and everyone involved in stoma care – from clinicians in acute and community settings, to health care decision makers – to think ‘skin first.’
- Skin health to be prioritised from the very beginning of an ostomate’s journey to prevent readmissions and save valuable time and resources. All ostomates to have access to the best quality stoma care, regardless of where they live.
- Stoma care nursing to be protected as a specialist discipline.
Rebecca Davenport, Director of Clinical Nursing, Hollister said, “We want all patients living with a stoma to live life to the full. But, to do this, we need to get the basics right. We need to start with skin first. Healthy skin is the foundation on which everything else is built. Choosing the right products means proven patient outcomes in terms of a secure fit, no leakage, no discomfort – and no skin complications – enabling patients to enjoy a healthy and active lifestyle."
Libby Herbert, Chief Executive of Colostomy UK said, “Colostomy UK supports and helps empower people with any type of stoma or stoma surgery to live their lives to the fullest. We want to live in a world where having a stoma presents no obstacles or barriers and carries no stigma, healthy skin around the stoma is critical to achieving that vision.
"This report reveals the costs of Peristomal Skin Complications ( PSC ) to the NHS and wider economy, but it is important to remember the people affected and the impact on their quality of life . Every complication means that someone’s life is negatively affected – from missed days of work to cancelled social plans. We can empower people with stomas to better manage their peristomal skin health by improving education on skin health and ensuring everyone has access to a dedicated stoma care nursing team and the right products. We must build a care pathway that prioritises skin health across the whole of a person’s stoma journey.”
Gail Tasker, Clinical Lead CNS Stoma Services, East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, said, “As stoma care nurses, we regularly see people with PSCs, and we know that there are people in the community living with skin complications believing that it is a normal part of having a stoma. These complications are largely preventable, and often easily treatable.
"The report demonstrates the importance of stoma care nurses, and the value that we bring. Helping to prevent PSCs would allow stoma care nurses to see more patients and allow extra time to focus on other critical aspects of their role. Easy and straightforward access to a stoma care nurse helps to keep costs down and improve people’s quality of life with a stoma. We must continue to ensure that the profession is well-resourced so we can deliver exceptional care for our patients.”
The report is available at: www.hollister.co.uk/CostOfPSC
