Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 27 June (HL8439), what is the (1) product category, (2) scope, (3) timing, (4) methodology, and (5) assessment criteria, adopted for each of the two value-based procurement projects for absorbent continence products to which the answer refers; and what assessment they have made of the extent to which the Rothwell Scale measures the effectiveness and suitability of absorbent continence products, in addition to absorbency.

For the value-based procurement projects for absorbent continence products the proposed product category is disposable continence containment products. The scope is any patients/users who are receiving continence care from the NHS, at home, in care homes or residential homes and acute wards. Once the pilot site has been identified it is estimated to be six to eight weeks for completion. The methodology looks at baseline data of current impact of care pathway delivered in practice, review of information, clinical changes based on baseline, a review of impact of changes and a sign of savings before scaling across a trust. The assessment criteria will be confirmed with the pilot site.

The Rothwell scale is an industry standard to measure the working absorbency of disposable continence products, enabling transparency and comparability of products fluid management. Subjective quality metrics like ease of use and comfort, will be user dependent. Objective elements that contribute to subjective elements such as comfort are included. For example, specifications include elasticated flexible sides, guard channels to reduce leakage, super absorbent polymers to remove fluid from skin contact. When a trust selects a supplier, the trust will evaluate potential suppliers on the framework, evaluating the subjective, qualitative features of ease of use, comfort, comparative reduction in leakages, quality of life and health outcomes.