Stoma care at home in Berlin: changing bag and baseplate

We change the bag and baseplate on a colostomy, ileostomy or urostomy in your own home, look after the skin around the stoma and report changes to the doctor's practice. If the skin at the stoma is inflamed and broken, the practice prescribes stoma treatment (Stomabehandlung) under § 37 SGB V, and your health insurer (Krankenkasse) pays. Call us: 030 64828209.

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After bowel or bladder surgery, many people come home with a stoma (Stoma) they cannot yet look after themselves. Others have changed it alone for years and no longer manage, because their eyesight fades, their hands stiffen or dementia sets in. Then we take over: we remove the old appliance, clean and dry the skin, look at it closely, cut the opening of the baseplate to size and fit the new appliance without creases. We record every change in the care documentation, together with the condition of the skin.

For the insurers there are two kinds of stoma care. If the skin around the stoma is acutely inflamed and broken, the care counts as medical home care (Behandlungspflege): the practice prescribes stoma treatment, we treat the skin as the doctor orders, and the health insurer pays. Changing the appliance on a calm, non-irritated stoma, on the other hand, is classed as basic care (Grundpflege) by the directive on home nursing care (HKP-Richtlinie). At care level (Pflegegrad) 2 to 5 the long-term care fund (Pflegekasse) pays for it; without one of these care levels the health insurer pays for it on prescription for up to four weeks per illness, for example after the operation. In both cases the health insurer only pays to the extent that nobody in the household can take the care on.

Bags, baseplates, skin-protection rings, pastes and stoma belts are not supplied by the nursing service. They are medical aids (Hilfsmittel) paid by the health insurer: the practice prescribes the monthly supply, and a medical supply shop, a pharmacy or a homecare company with a contract with your insurer delivers it to your home. We coordinate with that supplier's stoma therapist (Stomatherapeutin or Stomatherapeut), with the GP practice and, after an operation, with the hospital. If a baseplate leaks or the skin is irritated, we report it so that the appliance is refitted.

Behind the care stands Sonnenstrahlen Pflege GmbH, with a supply contract (Versorgungsvertrag) under SGB XI and approval for home nursing care under SGB V. Three offices share the area: Sickingenstr. 52 (Moabit) as the head office, Heilbronner Str. 1 (Halensee) and Theodor-Heuss-Platz 1 (Westend). We drive on every day of the week, public holidays included; we do not drive at night. Advice is given in German, English or Russian.

What we take on at the stoma

Changing bag and baseplate

One-piece or two-piece systems on a colostomy, ileostomy or urostomy: remove the old appliance, clean and dry the skin, cut the baseplate to size, fit the new appliance without creases.

Skin protection and skin checks

At every change we look for redness, itching and broken skin. Inflamed skin is treated as the doctor orders, with the prescribed products.

A start after discharge

We agree the first appointment with the ward. The hospital may prescribe home nursing care for up to seven days; after that the GP practice prescribes.

Coordination with stoma therapy and practice

If the appliance no longer fits, we tell the supplier and the practice. We request follow-up prescriptions in good time.

Training for you or your relatives

On prescription we show you or a relative how to change the appliance, step by step. The practice can prescribe up to five training visits for this.

Where we drive for stoma care

Stoma care runs at fixed times. To keep those times, we deliberately keep our area manageable: from Moabit and the southern part of Wedding (13353) across Charlottenburg and into the south-west, driven from our Moabit, Halensee and Westend bases. These localities are fixed points on the rounds:

  • Moabit and Hansaviertel
  • Tiergarten
  • Wedding (13353 only)
  • Charlottenburg-Nord
  • Siemensstadt
  • Spandau
  • Westend
  • Charlottenburg
  • Halensee
  • Wilmersdorf
  • Schmargendorf, Grunewald and Dahlem
  • Schöneberg and Friedenau

Postcodes: 10551, 10553, 10555, 10557, 10559, 10585, 10587, 10589, 10623, 10625, 10627, 10629, 10707, 10709, 10711, 10713, 10717, 10719, 10777, 10779, 10787, 10789, 10825, 12159, 12161, 13353, 13597, 13599, 13627, 13629, 14050, 14052, 14053, 14055, 14057, 14059, 14193, 14195, 14197, 14199

Who pays for stoma care

Stoma treatment for inflamed skin is home nursing care (häusliche Krankenpflege) under § 37 SGB V. The practice prescribes it on form Muster 12, and we submit the prescription (Verordnung) to your health insurer. If it reaches the insurer no later than the fourth working day after it was issued, the insurer covers the prescribed visits while it is still deciding on approval. Adults pay ten per cent of the costs on the first 28 calendar days of care in a calendar year plus ten euros per prescription; with an exemption notice (Befreiungsbescheid) neither applies.

Changing the appliance on a calm stoma is paid at care level 2 to 5 by the long-term care fund out of the care benefit in kind (Pflegesachleistung) under § 36 SGB XI; we bill it directly according to the Berlin service packages (Leistungskomplexe). Without care level 2 to 5, the health insurer pays for this change after a serious illness or an operation on prescription for up to four weeks per illness (§ 37 (1a) SGB V). The supplies are a separate item: bags, baseplates and accessories are medical aids under § 33 SGB V. For aids that are used up, adults pay ten per cent, at most 15 euros for the whole monthly supply. Privately insured clients receive our invoice for their insurer.

Stoma care at home in four steps

  1. A call or a message: Tell us which stoma needs care, how often it is changed and from when. By phone on 030 64828209, in writing to info@sonnenstrahlen-pflege.de.
  2. A free first visit: A qualified nurse (Pflegefachkraft) looks at the stoma, the skin and the supplies you have, and agrees the times with you. This visit is free of charge.
  3. Prescription and supplies: The practice prescribes the care on Muster 12 and the supplies on a separate prescription. We submit the Verordnung to the health insurer no later than the fourth working day after it was issued.
  4. Fixed change times: From the agreed day we come at the prescribed rhythm, document every change and report skin problems to the practice.

Questions about stoma care

What does stoma care by a nursing service cost, and who pays?

Stoma treatment for inflamed skin is paid by the health insurer on prescription; adults pay ten per cent of the costs on the first 28 calendar days in the year plus ten euros per prescription. Changing the appliance on a calm stoma is paid at care level 2 to 5 by the long-term care fund out of the care benefit in kind. Bags and baseplates come as medical aids on prescription, with a co-payment of at most 15 euros for the monthly supply. With an exemption notice the co-payments do not apply.

How do I get a prescription for stoma care by a nursing service?

The GP or specialist practice issues it on Muster 12, with the service, frequency and period; after an operation the hospital may prescribe for up to seven days as part of discharge management. The health insurer pays to the extent that you cannot look after the stoma yourself and nobody in the household can take it on (§ 37 (3) SGB V). We submit the prescription to your insurer no later than the fourth working day after it was issued.

Is stoma care medical home care (Behandlungspflege) or basic care (Grundpflege)?

Both, depending on the condition of the skin. The directive on home nursing care counts stoma treatment for acute inflammation with broken skin as Behandlungspflege. Cleaning and caring for a colostomy (Anus praeter) or urostomy without such skin problems is listed there under excretion and counts as Grundpflege. This decides whether the health insurer or the long-term care fund pays.

Are nurses allowed to change a stoma bag?

Yes. Changing the bag on a calm stoma is basic care and part of a nursing service's work. Treating inflamed skin at the stoma is medical home care on the doctor's orders; with us a qualified nurse (Pflegefachkraft) does it.

How often is a stoma bag changed?

That depends on the stoma and the system and is written in the prescription. Closed bags cannot be emptied and are changed as soon as they are full; drainable bags are emptied and changed less often. With two-piece systems the baseplate stays on the skin while the bag is swapped. The practice and the stoma therapist set the rhythm; if a baseplate starts leaking earlier, we report it.

How many stoma bags does the health insurer pay for each month?

The law sets no fixed number. The practice prescribes the monthly supply to suit the type of stoma, the system and the change rhythm, and a supplier with a contract with your insurer delivers it. You pay ten per cent, at most 15 euros for the whole monthly supply (§ 33 (8) SGB V). If the amount is not enough because baseplates leak, the appliance can be refitted.

Can I get a stoma belt or stoma support bandage on prescription?

Yes. Stoma belts, stoma support bandages, skin-protection rings and skin-protection pastes are among the stoma aids paid by the health insurer; the practice prescribes them together with bags and baseplates. They are delivered by a supplier with a contract with your health insurer.

Which care level (Pflegegrad) do you get with a stoma?

There is no fixed care level for a stoma; the Medical Service (Medizinischer Dienst) assesses how independent a person is overall. The stoma counts in two modules: self-care and coping with demands caused by illness and therapy. Care level 2 starts at 27 out of 100 points (§ 15 SGB XI). You apply informally to the long-term care fund; benefits are paid from the date of application (§ 33 SGB XI).

Ask about stoma care at home

Phone 030 64828209 or info@sonnenstrahlen-pflege.de. Have the prescription, the discharge letter and the details of your stoma system to hand – then we can judge on the phone which times will work. We come back to you within the same working day; the introductory visit to your flat is not charged.

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What you can rely on

  • Licensed care provider: Care provision contract under § 72 SGB XI and approval for home nursing care under § 37 SGB V; listed in the Berlin state register of care providers.
  • Billed directly with your insurer: with all statutory health and nursing care insurers; privately insured clients receive an invoice for their insurer.
  • Accepting new patients: we respond the same working day.
  • We work with hospitals: we take over directly from hospital discharge management, coordinated with clinic, GP practice and insurer.
  • Three offices in Berlin: Sickingenstr. 52 (Moabit), Heilbronner Str. 1 (Halensee), Theodor-Heuss-Platz 1 (Westend).
  • German · English · Russian: care and consultation in your language.

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