A new initiative by Cauda Equina Champions Charity (CECC) aims to enhance the care and support for individuals diagnosed with Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES) by introducing the CES Healthcare Passport. This comprehensive tool is designed to facilitate better communication between patients and healthcare professionals, ensuring that the unique needs of CES patients are met across various care settings.
Key Features of the CES Healthcare Passport:
· Eligibility: Available to all individuals diagnosed with CES, including those with incomplete diagnoses.
· Enhanced Communication: Aims to improve understanding of CES among healthcare professionals, particularly those with direct patient contact.
· Accessible Information: Provides readily available healthcare information to support CES patients across fragmented care pathways.
· Inclusive Design: Ensures that the passport is accessible to all patients, regardless of learning or reading abilities.
The CES Healthcare Passport was developed in response to findings from the CECC 2025 report, Beyond Diagnosis: Identifying the Gaps – The Reality of Living with Cauda Equina Syndrome in the UK Today. The report, based on a survey of 379 individuals living with CES, revealed that 69% of respondents believed healthcare professionals do not fully understand CES, and less than 5% received information about CES or how to manage their condition upon discharge from the hospital.
Claire Thornber, Cauda Equina Champions Charity Founder comments:
“Communication is essential for delivering quality care. The CES Healthcare Passport has been created to empower patients and facilitate meaningful discussions between patients and healthcare professionals about all aspects of living with CES, including sexual function and mental health.
Chronic Cauda Equina Syndrome is complex and requires a long pathway of rehabilitation. Our CES Healthcare Passport is a starting point for identifying individual needs. so that these needs can be identified Early identification of an individual’s needs means that comprehensive rehabilitation services can be offered to ensure the best outcomes possible, for this deserving group of patients
This is a positive step forward for not just the charity, but all the patients across the country who struggle to communicate their needs within the healthcare space.”
The passport serves as a starting point for identifying individual needs, enabling early intervention and comprehensive rehabilitation services to ensure the best possible outcomes for CES patients.
Note: The CES Healthcare Passport is a voluntary initiative and is not a legally mandated document
Click the following link to view/download the CES Healthcare Passport – https://championscharity.dev.icgonline.co.uk/charity-downloads/#flipbook-df_7864/1/