The Paediatric Continence Forum (PCF) is a campaigning group of health professionals, patient representatives and commercial members that engages with the Government and policymakers nationally to raise awareness of childhood bladder and bowel problems and to improve NHS services in this area of child health.
The PCF is on Twitter! Follow @PaedContForum for our thoughts and insights into policies affecting paediatric continence services.
We are recruiting!
The PCF is seeking a new Chair to lead this dynamic and exciting group. The successful candidate will lead the Forum, ensuring it fulfills the tasks outlined in the Four Year Strategy and the annual Aims and Objectives.
This position offers candidates a prime opportunity to influence Government policy and improve the lives of young people. The PCF is an active group, responding to Government consultations and the campaigning for better paediatric continence provisions.
This is a voluntary post, however expenses will be reimbursed. Find out more about the position below:
Paediatric Continence Forum_ terms of reference
Applicants should send a CV and cover letter to paediatriccontinenceforum@whitehouseconsulting.co.uk.
The PCF is also seeking new clinical supporters.
Clinical supporters play a crucial role as advocates for young people, working with the PCF and its commercial members to improve continence provision. Clinical supporters receive regular news updates, and are encouraged to pursue their interest in the PCF by engaging with consultation and liaising with the Chair about local developments and policy changes relating to the NHS. If you would like to become a clinical supporter, please email paediatriccontinenceforum@whitehouseconsulting.co.uk
News
Dr Penny Dobson MBE, PCF Chair, appears on BBC Wales – April 2019
Dr Penny Dobson MBE, Chair of the Paediatric Continence Forum, recently appeared on BBC Wales to discuss the growing lack of support for children living with bladder and bowel continence issues.
“I think many will be suffering in silence,” she said.
“It’s a neglected area of child health but the effects on the child and the family – if it’s not addressed at an early stage – can be devastating.”
“Continence problems have a known link with mental health difficulties,” Dr Dobson added.
“Children can feel different, it affects their self-esteem, they can’t always go on social activities and it affects them at school. Bullying is a problem for many children with continence problems.”
You can read the full article here.
The PCF welcomes new NHS continence care guidelines – July 2018
The PCF has welcomed the new guidelines on Excellence in Continence Care, published by NHS England at the end of July.
The guidelines, which outline how the NHS should be supporting individuals with continence issues, takes on board several PCF recommendations. This includes ensuring there is good access to services for young people, as well as a link to the PCF Commissioning Guide.
The Excellence in Continence Care guidelines indicate that it is “essential that all children and young people with a bladder or bowel problem have a comprehensive bladder and bowel assessment”, and recognise how stressful it can be for young people transitioning in to adult health services.
The PCF will continue to promote the benefits of a single integrated service to improving diagnosis and treatment for continence issues.
The PCF celebrates World Continence Week – June 2018
PCF members took part in World Continence Week (June 18-24), which has been raising awareness of the plight of people with continence issues since 2008. This platform highlights the needs of the one in 10 children and young people across the UK who are affected by continence issues and calls for better provisions at local level. Continence problems, namely bedwetting, daytime wetting, constipation or soiling, occur at a sensitive time in a child’s emotional and physical development, often causing feelings of low self-esteem and social isolation. They also contribute to family stress and to the very real risk of bullying by siblings and peers, which can in turn prevent children from taking full advantage of social and educational opportunities at school. The PCF advocates prevention, early detection and effective intervention in these problems through the provision of integrated, well-resourced, community-based paediatric continence services, led by a specially-trained paediatric continence nurse specialist. We direct you to our Continence Commissioning Guide and the EICC for further information.
The PCF Chair published in Nursing Times – June 2018
The Chair of the PCF, Dr Penny Dobson MBE, has written an article for the Nursing Times highlighting the plight of the 900,000 children and young people experiencing continence difficulties in the UK, and the work of the PCF to improve NHS services in this area of child health.. The article outlines the findings from the PCF’s FOI audit carried out in 2017 compared with previous years, showing that only 41 percent of CCGs and health boards provided comprehensive and integrated community-based paediatric continence treatment services, and only 15 percent of local authorities provided a continence service following the transfer of school nurses and health visitors to local authority control.
Penny highlights that an unintended consequence of this poor provision is more children going to A&E and being admitted to hospital for advanced constipation and urinary tract infections, thereby undermining the Government’s pledge to bring more healthcare into the community – which is cheaper for the NHS and more effective for the patient.
The article also highlights the NICE-accredited Paediatric Continence Commissioning Guide which was published by the PCF in 2015 and is being updated this year, which provides advice for setting up “community-based, integrated and cost-efficient paediatric continence services.” It notes that it is encouraging that 64 percent of CCGs have heard of the Guide and 50 percent are using it. The article also brings the reader’s attention to NHS England’s Excellence in Continence Care guide, an updated version of which is also due to be published soon.
