Contact us
Call 01726 873 095 or email the Bladder and Bowel Specialist Service
About us
Our service provides professional advice, guidance and information on the management of bladder and bowel continence.
We also provide treatment of faecal and urinary incontinence including enuresis and related bladder and bowel problems in children and adults.
The service is based from St Austell Community Hospital. Clinics are provided from community hospital outpatient departments or health clinics.
Waiting times
Our service is in high demand. More people are being sent to us for treatment.
This means that some people will need to wait longer for an appointment. This is because we are seeing people based on their clinical need.
While people are waiting for their appointment, they can visit the ERIC website for children and young people or the Bladder and Bowel UK website for adults.
What the service provides?
We believe that everyone has the right to be content whenever this is achievable. We will work with other healthcare professionals to ensure you get the best help available.
Accidental leakage from the bladder or bowel (incontinence) is very common. There are many types of incontinence, such as:
- having to rush to the toilet and not always getting there in time
- wetting yourself when you cough, sneeze or jump (stress incontinence)
- wetting the bed (adults or children)
- leaking from the bowel
If you suffer from one or more of these, please make an appointment with your GP. To help you identify your symptoms, complete a bladder and/or a bowel symptom profile, you can take this with you to your GP appointment. On occasions, it may be necessary to refer you to other services.
Service information
Scope of service
Eligible groups (including those with special needs) are listed below.
Children
- Day and night time wetting.
- Constipation and soiling.
- Non-invasive diagnostic investigations.
Young people
- Day and night time wetting.
- Constipation and soiling.
- Non-invasive diagnostic investigations.
Adult females
- Lower urinary tract symptoms.
- Bowel symptoms.
- Invasive diagnostic investigations.
Adult males
- Lower urinary tract symptoms.
- Bowel symptoms.
- Non-invasive diagnostic investigations.
Stepwise approach
Bladder and bowel problems will largely be identified and assessed in primary and community care settings. The information below maps a stepwise approach to accessing assessment, treatment, and management.
Assessment, treatment, and management for the patient will be offered at 4 levels of care.
1. Screening level
This level is about improving access to continence care, which involves front-line professionals encouraging discussion of the problem with patients and screen for it by asking:
- Does your bladder or bowel ever or sometimes cause you problems?
Referral onto the first-level will be determined by a positive response to the question.
2. First level
This level involves the front-line professional who is competent at offering a first-level assessment using a locally approved continence assessment tool.
Failure of treatment, doubtful diagnosis or complexity will determine referral to the second level.
3. Second level
This level includes specialists such as the Bladder and Bowel Specialist Service, physiotherapists specialising in continence, urologists and gynaecologists.
Referral onto the third level will be for complex cases not resolved at this level.
4. Third level
This level is a further step for highly specialised care, usually provided in centres of excellence.
The service does not receive referrals for the provision of absorbent products or sheath fitting; or red flags where patients need to be seen by their GP or secondary care. All referrals are triaged by a member of the clinical team. If the referral is not accepted, it will be returned to the referrer with an explanation of why it is not appropriate.
Appointments
Appointments are provided by telephone or virtually. Where clinical necessary, a face-to-face appointment is offered. Follow-up appointments will be offered according to clinical need.
Referrals
If you have a question about indwelling urinary catheterisation, get in touch (contact details at the top of this page).
We do not accept referrals for product orders or fitting.
Arrange a pre and post void scan if the following symptoms present:
- hesitancy to void
- intermittent or weak flow
- straining to void
- feeling of incomplete emptying
- recurrent urinary tract infection
You could also consider a referral for an ultrasound of the kidneys, ureter, and bladder.
The service expects that any red flag bladder or bowel symptoms will have been escalated to the relevant team prior to making this referral.
Self-referrals
Professionals
Information and help
- BB UK: Provides a national service promoting continence products to improve the life for all people with bladder or bowel problems. They offer product information, advice and practical solutions for all.
- Continence Product Advisor: Designed to give users, carers and healthcare professionals detailed, essential information about products for bladder, bowel, and toileting problems.
- Eric: Provides information and support on bedwetting, daytime wetting, constipation and soiling to children, young people, parents and professionals.
- I-Hydrate Project: Improving hydration in older people in care homes to reduce morbidity and prevent hospital admissions.
Resources
Adult information leaflets
- Pelvic floor muscle exercises for men (PDF, 158 KB).
- Pelvic floor muscle exercises for women (PDF, 114 KB).
- Pelvic floor exercises for young people information leaflet (PDF, 483 KB).
- Your guide to bladder training information leaflet (PDF, 173 KB).
Children's information leaflets
- Children's bladder and bowel appointment leaflet (PDF, 70 KB).