Independence in the supply of stoma products
A key advantage of independence when it comes to prescribing and dispensing stoma products is the avoidance of product selection bias.
Product selection bias can influence whether patients get the right product for their condition, or whether the products offer best value for the NHS.
Within the NHS there are two routes for prescribing stoma products:
- Independent, where a stoma nurse in the acute trust or community is employed directly by the NHS trust.
- Company sponsored, where the stoma nurse in the acute trust or community is funded for by a stoma product manufacturer but is still an NHS employee.
The vast majority of specialist stoma nurses in the NHS are sponsored (Funded by a stoma manufacturer) and this is often not transparent to the patient.
Prescriptions are either:
- Raised by a specialist stoma nurses
- Raised by a GP or dispensing doctor, who is advised by the specialist nurse what to prescribe for their patient
The charts below show the routes (simplified) for the prescribing of stoma products within the NHS.
