BCHC staff treating an adult patient

Services

Adults' Services

Bladder and Bowel (Continence) Service

Bladder and Bowel (Continence) Service assesses, investigates and treats adults who are experiencing bladder problems or bowel dysfunction.

About our service

The Bladder and Bowel (Continence) Service assesses, investigates and treats  adults who are experiencing bladder problems or bowel dysfunction. There are a range of investigations that are available that help us to determine the best course of treatment, based on individual patients needs.

 

Who delivers it?

The service is delivered by specialist bladder and bowel nurses, who deliver clinics in community settings.

 

Don’t suffer in silence, come talk about your symptoms and start with a positive way forward.

 

Our specialist teams can help you - ask your GP for a referral or contact our teams directly on the contact telephone listed on this page.

What should a patient  expect from the specialist bladder and bowel (continence) service?

  • Before the appointment they will be asked to complete self-assessment documentation to help the assessment process.
  • Visit a clinic to receive a specialist, holistic continence assessment which will take at least an hour to complete.
  • This may involve the patient undergoing investigations, relevant to their symptoms including; vaginal pelvic floor assessment, bladder ultra-sound scan or rectal examination.

 

Once the assessment has been completed and type or types of incontinence have been diagnosed, treatment may include:

  • lifestyle advice or interventions.
  • pelvic floor exercises, including treatment for those currently unable to contract their pelvic floor
  • bladder re-training
  • ‘prescription medication’ based treatment
  • support with continence management, including the use of containment products
  • teaching of intermittent self-catheterisation
  • signposting to other services
  • management of constipation and/or faecal incontinence.
  • implement specialist bowel care regimes, including rectal irrigation.

 

Please be aware that housebound patients including patients with psychological illness which prevents them from accessing a clinic, or following a treatment program, will initially need to be referred to a district nurse for assessment and treatment.  These referrals can be made via the Single Point of Access on 0300 555 1919.

 

If required, the district nurses can request support from our specialist nurses for patients with complex needs around continence management, catheter care or bowel management. 

Continence Clinic

Bladder and bowel clinics are held in citywide locations, Monday to Friday, 9.00 am to 5.00 pm.

Our patients and their carers and families are the reason we're here, so we want to hear your views about the Trust and our services.