Ran Out of Stoma Bags? Where to Get Emergency Stoma Supplies in the UK Today

Down to your last stoma bag: the first hour

It happens to far more people than admit it: a delivery that didn't turn up, a prescription stuck at the GP surgery, a week of leaks that used up a box faster than planned, or a holiday that ran on longer than the supplies did. It feels urgent, and it is, but in almost every case you can have stoma bags in your hands within a day or two.

Before you ring anyone, take stock:

• Count everything. Bags, baseplates (flanges) and accessories. On a two-piece system, a spare baseplate without a bag, or a bag without a baseplate, still buys time.
• Leave a good seal alone. If the bag you are wearing is sealed, comfortable and not itching, don't change it early. Empty it when it is a third to half full so the weight doesn't drag on the seal.
• Don't push it past its limit either. If the skin itches or burns, or the edge starts to lift, change it. Holding on to a failing seal to save a bag usually ends in a leak and sore skin, and that uses up more supplies.
• Never improvise on the stoma. Carrier bags, cling film or ordinary tape on or around the stoma can damage the skin. If you have truly run out tonight, call NHS 111 or go to A&E: hospitals keep stoma supplies.

Not sure how long a bag should last? Our guide to how often to change and empty your stoma bag has typical wear times for each type.

Where to get emergency stoma supplies in the UK

Work down this list. Most people are sorted by the second or third call.

1. Ring your delivery company and ask for an urgent delivery

   Most people in the UK get their bags from a home delivery service (a dispensing appliance contractor) or a pharmacy. Tell them plainly that you have run out, give your exact product codes and ask what they can send next day. If the hold-up is a prescription that hasn't arrived from the GP, they can often chase it for you.

2. Call your GP surgery about the prescription

   If the problem is the prescription itself, ask the surgery to issue it urgently and send it electronically to your supplier or pharmacy. Mention that you are out of stoma bags: it is a recognised urgent request, not a routine repeat.

3. Ring the manufacturer of your bags

   Coloplast, Hollister, ConvaTec, Dansac, Salts and other makers run UK customer and nurse lines and free sample schemes. They can often post samples of your exact product, or the closest match, within a couple of days.

4. Try your local pharmacy

   Some community pharmacies keep a few common bags and baseplates, and most can order your product for the next working day. Ring before you go and have your product code ready.

5. Contact your stoma care nurse or the hospital

   Stoma nurses often keep a small stock for exactly this, and the colorectal ward or outpatient clinic where you had surgery may give you enough to bridge a few days.

6. Use NHS 111 or A&E if you have nothing left

   If the last bag has failed and nothing else is possible tonight, NHS 111 can tell you where to go, and A&E will fit a bag so you are safe until morning.

NHS prescriptions, free prescriptions and home delivery

Running out usually comes down to how the ordering works, not how many bags you use. A few things worth knowing:

• Stoma supplies are available on NHS prescription. Your GP prescribes them, and a home delivery service or pharmacy dispenses them. Delivery services usually send a month's supply at a time, with discreet packaging and free extras such as disposal bags and wipes.
• A permanent stoma qualifies for free prescriptions in England. If you have a permanent colostomy, ileostomy or urostomy, you can apply for a medical exemption certificate. Prescriptions are already free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• If you need more than your usual amount, for example because of leaks or sore skin, ask your stoma nurse to review your products and let the surgery know. A documented reason makes a bigger prescription much easier.
• Reorder early. Set a phone reminder ten days to two weeks before you expect to run low, not the day you open the last box. Bank holidays and Christmas slow everything down, so order earlier then.

More detail in our guides to free stoma supplies, NHS prescriptions and samples and what stoma supplies cost on the NHS.

The stoma emergency kit: what to keep ready

The best way never to face an empty drawer again is a small kit that lives somewhere other than the bathroom: in the car, your work bag or your gym bag. Check it every couple of months, because adhesives age.

Travelling? Pack double what you think you'll need and keep it in your hand luggage. Our stoma travel bag guide walks through it, and if you are still in the first weeks, the stoma surgery preparation checklist covers what to have at home.

Make every bag last as long as it should

Most people who run out early are losing bags to leaks. Fixing the cause saves more supplies than any stockpile:

• Re-measure your stoma. Stomas change size, especially in the first months. A gap of more than 2 to 3 mm around it lets output reach the skin.
• Warm the baseplate in your hands for a minute before you apply it, then hold it in place for 30 to 60 seconds so the adhesive settles.
• Empty early. A heavy bag drags on the seal; empty at a third to half full.
• Keep the bag still. A support belt or high-waisted stoma pants hold the bag close to your body and carry its weight as it fills, so the baseplate is pulled less. That helps prevent many of the leaks caused by movement and by weight peeling the seal.
• Ask about convexity or seals if you keep leaking in the same spot. Your stoma nurse can check the fit.

If leaks are the real reason you keep running short, our guide to a stoma bag that keeps leaking goes through every common cause.

Running out of stoma bags: your questions