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.
News
Children’s Continence Commissioning Guide featured in the Association for Continence Advice (ACA) newsletter
The Paediatric Forum’s Children’s Continence Commissioning Guide was featured in last winter’s edition of the Association for Continence Advice newsletter. The article gives an overview of the guide and encourages readers to make commissioners aware of it. The article also explains some of the work that the PCF does in identifying areas of poor commissioning and reaching out to the MPs from those areas.
Read the Children’s Continence Commissioning Guide’s feature in the ACA newsletter here.
PCF to participate in the National Bladder and Bowel Health Project (NBBHP)
The Paediatric Continence Forum are taking part in the National Bladder and Bowel Health Project, which is supported by the Clinical and Product Assurance (CaPA) team of NHS Supply Chain. The project aims to improve continence care across the whole health and care system that is being led by NHS England.
ERIC and Bladder & Bowel UK publish guidance for school leaders, proprietors, governors, staff and practitioners
Read the guidance: Managing Bladder and Bowel Issues in Nurseries, Schools and Colleges
Two members of the Paediatric Continence Forum, ERIC and Bladder & Bowel UK have published new guidance for school leaders, proprietors, governors, staff and practitioners. The document provides best practice regarding bladder and bowel issues and toileting in schools.
The guidance is supported by a short film and provides clear, concise guidance for school leaders, proprietors, governors, staff and practitioners. Topics covered include:
- How to promote good bladder and bowel health in schools
- Hygiene standards / provision of school toilets
- Managing incontinence in schools
- National legislation for the four countries of the UK
- Safeguarding
- Continence policy and care plans (sample policy and plan are provided)
Read the guidance: Managing Bladder and Bowel Issues in Nurseries, Schools and Colleges
Integrated paediatric continence services Guide to significantly improve children’s lives and save NHS costs
Read the Children’s Continence Commissioning Guide 2019.
The Paediatric Continence Forum has launched its new Guide (September 2019) on how to commission and run integrated, nurse-led, community-based paediatric continence services. These are clinically effective, improve the lives of children and their families and generate significant cost savings for the NHS.
Bladder and bowel (continence) problems affect more than 900,000 children and young people in the UK, with a significantly negative impact on their health, wellbeing, education and emotional and psychological development. However services in this area of child health remain fragmented and inadequate, with too many children attending A&E/ admitted for acute constipation and urinary tract infections, or are referred inappropriately to already overstretched paediatric outpatient departments. This unhappy situation could be sorted out much earlier and more effectively in the community.
A central premise of the Guide is that all children from birth to 19 with continence difficulties should have access to an integrated Community Children’s Continence Service (CCCS).
This research-based Guide gives a clear description of what a “good” service looks like and how it should be run. It includes; an appropriately resourced multidisciplinary team led by a children’s continence nurse specialist and clear and effective care pathways to other key services. Also included are good referral pathways to and from universal school nurse and health visitor services at Level/Tier 1- services which provide an important role in the early identification of problems with toilet training and the onset of continence difficulties.
Read the Children’s Continence Commissioning Guide 2019.
Dr Penny Dobson MBE Chair of the Paediatric Continence Forum, said:
“The PCF is concerned about the increasing pressure on paediatric continence services across the UK. Our 2017 FOI survey found that only 41% of CCGs and Health Boards commission all four continence services ( bedwetting, daytime wetting, constipation/soiling and toilet training).Services in many areas are therefore fragmented and inadequate.
This clear and informative Guide is an opportunity for commissioners to create positive and effective clinical services for this all too often neglected group of children, as well as make savings for the NHS. By doing so commissioners will also fulfil the terms of the NHS Long Term Plan, by; reducing A&E attendances; creating an integrated and collaborative structure for service delivery and, most importantly, responding to the needs and wishes of all children, including those with learning and physical disabilities”
Read the Children’s Continence Commissioning Guide 2019.
