National Sentinel audit

Representatives from the British Geriatrics Society have been actively involved in a project of the Clinical Effectiveness and Evaluation Unit, under a grant provided by PPP

Initially headed by Dr Jonathan Potter and now by Dr Adrian Wagg, this two year project aims to set the foundations for a National Sentinel Audit of Continence care for older people. This audit
will cover both urinary and faecal continence.

Workshops and Deplhi exercises have already taken place and have resulted in the publication of “Bowel Care in Older People” by the CEEU, available from RCP Publications Department, and the drafting of a pilot audit questionnaire. It is intended that the pilot will run in March 2003 in the care home, secondary and primary care environments.

As a separate piece of work in collaboration with the Health Services Research Unit of the University of Kent, the project is examining the views of older people, of their use of continence services.

The results of these separate pieces of work will be combined to form the National Audit in partnership with CHI to run from April 2004.

Adrian Wagg
Chairman : CEEU