Thousands of patients who require a catheter to go to the toilet are suffering agonising bladder infections because the NHS is failing to remove them in time, experts say.
The flexible tube, which is used to empty the bladder and collect urine in a drainage bag, is used long-term by about 90,000 people in the UK.
The device is supposed to be replaced every three months or removed within three days if a patient begins to show signs of a bladder infection.
However, The Mail on Sunday has learned that a shortage of nurses qualified to remove the tubes means many patients are being forced to use bacteria-infested catheters and are regularly ending up in A&E with severe infections.
Catheter patients should also promptly be given antibiotics to tackle bladder infections, but experts say that many are being forced to wait weeks to see a doctor who can give them the tablets.
Thousands of patients who require a catheter to go to the toilet are suffering agonising bladder infections because the NHS is failing to remove 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 bacteria-infested catheters (Stock Image)
Shockingly, some patients with contaminated catheters have been told to replace the tubes themselves, a complicated task known as self-catheterisation which many people struggle to do.
One patient who has struggled to access catheter care on the NHS is Evan Francis, 28, from the Isle of Sheppey, who has ended up in A&E eight times since April due to bladder infections.
The public relations professional suffers from Fowler’s Syndrome, a bladder disorder that prevents young women from passing urine normally. Since Evan’s catheter was fitted in January, she has suffered a new bladder infection nearly every month.
The infections leave Evan with debilitating back pain and the constant sensation of needing to pee.
While antibiotics are able to combat the worst of the infection, if the catheter is not removed, the bug will inevitably return.
However, Evan says hospital doctors have repeatedly refused to replace the contaminated catheters with new ones. ‘Whenever I show up in A&E in pain, I’m told that the doctors there don’t have the training to take out catheters,’ says Evan.
‘So I have to wait until my next appointment with the nurse, which means I can go as long as two months with a bacteria-filled catheter.’
After repeated complaints, Evan was told she could change the catheters herself at home, but was unable to do this.
‘It’s a tricky task that not everyone can pick up,’ she says. ‘And if you get it wrong it can lead to even more infections.
‘I know so many other women who have had similar experiences. It feels like we’re being palmed off by the NHS.’ Catheters are given to patients who cannot control their bladder.
Catheter patients should also promptly be given antibiotics to tackle bladder infections, but experts say that many are being forced to wait weeks to see a doctor (stock image)
There are two types of catheters used in the NHS. Some people use a temporary device – known as an intermittent catheter – which is inserted whenever the patient needs to go to the toilet. Once the bladder is empty, the catheter is then removed.
However, most prefer an indwelling catheter – one which remains in place for weeks and connects to a bag clipped to the leg or the waist – because it’s more convenient. However, indwelling catheters significantly raise the risks of bladder infections.
‘The urinary tract contains several types of cells that fight off incoming infections,’ says Professor Roger Bayston, a surgical infectiion specialist at the University of Nottingham.
‘But when you insert a catheter, bacteria can travel up the tube, bypassing these protective cells, and get into the bladder.’
Studies suggest that about one in ten catheter patients will suffer from recurrent bladder infections caused by the catheter.
‘We’ve seen patients with catheter-related bladder infections so bad that they are on the brink of suicide,’ says Prof Bayston.
In the US, most patients have their catheter changed every month. But, in the UK, this is done every 12 weeks.
A catheter should be removed before then if there are signs of an infection. This is usually done by district nurses, medics who make home visits. However, experts say this often does not happen.
‘There’s a shortage of district nurses which means some patients can wait a long time get their catheter changed,’ says Prof Bayston.
An NHS specialist, who asked to remain anonymous, said: ‘Catheter care in some care homes is seriously poor. Residents are left with catheters for far too long, and more infections occur as a result.’
One solution would 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 to allow nurses to prescribe antibiotics for catheter infections.
NHS England was contacted for comment.
