Problems people with spinal cord injury experience accessing help with bowel care when hospitalised outside a specialist spinal injury service.

If this problem is left unaddressed, the health and quality of life of people with SCI will continue to be compromised. Nursing scope of practice needs to be clarified and communicated to nurses outside specialist spinal injury units in relation to their role in maintaining bowel care regimes recommended for their patients by spinal specialists, and nurses need to ensure they possess the skills required. To allocate the time needed to provide this care, individual nurses need the support of the whole nursing team, including managers who are prepared to arrange additional staff when needed.