{"id":1520,"date":"2025-12-04T12:01:14","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T12:01:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk\/nhs-highland\/pages\/pharmacy-services\/national-pharmacy-services\/stoma-services\/"},"modified":"2026-09-10T16:39:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T15:39:00","slug":"stoma-services","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk\/nhs-highland\/pages\/pharmacy-services\/national-pharmacy-services\/stoma-services\/","title":{"rendered":"Stoma Services"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Service specification <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A stoma service in the pharmacy sector refers to the support provided to patients who have undergone surgery to create a stoma\u2014an artificial opening in the abdomen that allows waste (faeces or urine) to exit the body into a pouch. This is common after operations for conditions like bowel cancer, Crohn\u2019s disease, or bladder issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What Does the Service Include?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Supply of Stoma Appliances and Accessories<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Patients need specialist products such as stoma bags, baseplates, skin barriers, and disposal items.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pharmacies or Dispensing Appliance Contractors (DACs) supply these items based on NHS prescriptions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Products are listed in Part IXC of the Drug Tariff.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Customisation of Appliances<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Some stoma appliances require Stoma Appliance Customisation (SAC) to fit the patient\u2019s measurements for comfort and to prevent leakage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Advice and Support<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Pharmacists provide guidance on stoma care, skin protection, and managing complications like leakage or irritation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They also advise on medication issues (e.g., absorption changes, high-output stomas) and when to refer to a stoma nurse. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Prescription Management<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Patients receive prescriptions from their GP or stoma nurse and can choose where to have them dispensed (pharmacy or DAC).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Home Delivery<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Many suppliers offer home delivery for convenience, especially for patients with mobility issues. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How It Works in Practice<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>After surgery, the hospital stoma nurse sets up the patient with initial supplies and explains the process.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The patient then gets repeat prescriptions from their GP.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The pharmacy or DAC dispenses the products, customises them if needed, and may deliver them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Why Is It Important?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ensures patients have the right products for comfort and hygiene.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reduces complications like skin damage or leakage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Supports independence and quality of life for people living with a stoma.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"nhsuk-card__description\">Service specification A stoma service in the pharmacy sector refers to the support provided to patients who have undergone surgery [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"parent":1483,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1520","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk\/nhs-highland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk\/nhs-highland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk\/nhs-highland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk\/nhs-highland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk\/nhs-highland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1520"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk\/nhs-highland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1520\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2609,"href":"https:\/\/www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk\/nhs-highland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1520\/revisions\/2609"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk\/nhs-highland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1483"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk\/nhs-highland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}