00:00Sarah-Jane uses a catheter due to her spinal injury, which causes urine retention.
00:05But when it recently came out, she needed an emergency replacement.
00:08This is something that might sound simple, but her experience of getting that done was far from easy.
00:14If I'm retaining urine for too long, or it can happen if you have a cut, or anything the body's
00:21not used to,
00:21it sets off the autonomic nervous system with a spinal patient,
00:26and it can make the blood pressure shoot up, which can cause a stroke or a heart attack.
00:31So it's a real thing.
00:33I had to wait 10 hours to have a new catheter put in when mine came out for no apparent
00:40reason.
00:41It's something that happens occasionally.
00:43The problems she faced were layered.
00:46For example, Sarah-Jane uses a mobility scooter,
00:48so was told that she would have to make her own way from Favresham to a Canterbury hospital.
00:53She told me she was unable to do this, and usually gets transport for pre-booked appointments.
00:58Apparently, because I have that, I don't meet the criteria of being housebound.
01:04That would all be absolutely fine if I could get on my scooter,
01:09go to one of the two health centres or the walk-in centre, and get a catheter put in.
01:15Nobody in Favresham does it.
01:17It's in this room that Sarah-Jane said she made eight phone calls
01:20and waited more than eight hours to be able to get access for an emergency catheter to be put in.
01:25The experience is left determined to find a solution and raise awareness.
01:30All I want is either to have a service in Favresham who will do it,
01:35or to get the district nurses to come and do it.
01:38That's all I'm asking. One of those two things.
01:41I spoke with the Spinal Injuries Association to find out if this is a common problem.
01:45It's something that nationally a lot of people with spinal cord injury do have an issue with
01:51when they need an emergency catheter change rather than a routine one.
01:55So if a solution could be found that could be rolled out nationally, that would make us very happy.
02:00A spokesperson for the NHS Kenton Medway said
02:02they are sorry to hear about Sarah-Jane's experience
02:05and said it recognises the need for timely catheter care.
02:08It says most GP practices in Kenton Medway do not change catheters for patients who are not housebound,
02:15who are instead advised to use hospital urology services or community care where available.
02:21Some patients might also qualify for free non-emergency hospital transport.
02:26Catheter care is due to be reviewed as part of wider plans to move more services closer to home.
02:32As Sarah-Jane continues to face the challenges of her injury every day,
02:35she is determined to campaign for awareness for those in similar situations
02:39and bring a change to the gap in services.
02:43Kristen Hawthorne, KMTV, in Faversham.
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