On the 17th of May I had the privilege of hosting a Westminster Hall debate on the future of stoma care, to bring attention to the difficulties and challenges facing those living with stomas.
For the unfamiliar, a stoma is an opening on the abdomen which connects to the urinary or digestive system, instituted for a number of medical reasons. Almost 200,000 people, including 300 in my constituency of Clacton, wear a stoma and every day they face a myriad of challenges.  These are broadly split between the physical and the social and include – but are not limited to – rashes and odours arising from leakage, as well as career and relationship difficulties.  Stigma is pervasive, leading people with stomas to have to make adjustments to how they live, what they wear, and how they engage with others.  I hope that with my debate, we can shine a light on these stigmas and obstacles and raise the profile of the conversation around tackling them.
I want to thank the amazing team at Stomas in Parliament, whose helpful and informative events – as well as the support they gave me in preparing for the debate – have brought this to my attention.  Joining me during the debate, and providing me with a remarkable prosthetic stoma to illustrate the condition, they were instrumental in improving my understanding of the needs of people with stomas.  I also want to thank Jessica, an amazing 7 year old with a stoma who has been documenting her journey online for others to follow.  She passed me the baton on this important issue, and I hope that I have been able to do her proud in hosting the debate.
Patients with intimate healthcare needs must have choice and they must be able to determine what is best for them.  No two people are the same in their healthcare needs, and a one-size-fits-all approach will only lead to people slipping through the cracks and suffering in silence as a result. The avoidable costs to people’s wellbeing, as well as our NHS, are immense and I want to see this tackled.  By asking Minister Will Quince to ensure that the provision of care for people with stomas is a part of the Department of Health’s Medtech Strategy, I hope that we can reduce pressure on our health and emergency services whilst enabling people with stomas to overcome the healthcare obstacles they face.
The Minister’s response reassured me, and I hope that going forward we can provide the care necessary to end the stigma facing people with stomas.  I would also be remiss not to thank Janet Daby MP, the Member for Lewisham East, who joined us at the debate to share her own experiences with a stoma and support us.  It takes a lot of courage to be open about the intimate aspects of our health, and she, along with the representatives from Stomas in Parliament who joined us at the debate, have my utmost respect for being open about how having a stoma has affected them in order to help others.
As I said during the debate, we must adopt a Getting It Right First Time approach to stoma care, and set out appropriate pathways in healthcare for those with stomas, in order to improve their quality of life.  People react differently to different treatments, and the NHS needs to appreciate this when supporting people with stomas.  If you have an adverse reaction to a particular adhesive, for example, you need to be empowered to be able to choose a different provider who use an alternative adhesive to improve your quality of life.  We must also educate GPs – some have been known to delete prescription items for people with stomas on a cost basis, despite the needs of these people to receive the healthcare products they are prescribed.
We still have a long way to go in improving the quality of care for people with stomas, but I am confident that we are on track towards progress. Â I hope that my contribution in hosting this debate has gone some way to helping shine a light on this issue.
Giles Watling MP has been the Member of Parliament for Clacton since 2017. An actor by profession, Giles has featured on screen and on stage as part of a career spanning 5 decades, before fighting to represent his constituents on the greatest stage of all – Parliament. He now devotes his time to issues important to his constituents, as well as close to his heart, including animal welfare, water safety, conservation, and supporting people with stomas.