Bladder and bowel services Resources

Now more than ever, those with an interest or specialism in continence care need to be able to access professional development, as well as share knowledge and experiences with colleagues. Covid-19 has rapidly altered service provision and specialist professionals working across different geographical areas have not yet had sufficient opportunity to come together in person and process what these changes mean for their practice and patients. This upheaval has, of course, affected everyone whose work touches on bladder and bowel issues.

The development of an integrated children’s bladder and bowel service is a key recommendation from a number of national documents and helps ensure affected children are seen at the right time and place and by the right person. This facilitates potential cost savings in the long term, with resultant reductions in A&E attendance and secondary care referrals. The key reference document is the Children’s Continence Commissioning Guide, which sets out a clear service framework. By working with several services across the UK, a generic service model has been developed which supports appropriate interventions at both tier 1 and tier 2, including the development of care pathways to help reduce unwarranted variation and inequalities in the provision of care. The key to success with this model is also the empowerment of families to help them self-manage the child’s problem, which also fits within the NHS Long Term Plan (NHS England, 2019).