Continence and Enuresis Service
Who we are
We are a specialist nursing continence service providing a statewide resource and service for children, parents and health care professionals in the management of paediatric bladder and bowel dysfunction.
We offer nursing continence assessment, treatment, management, advice and support for children with bladder and bowel dysfunction including daytime urinary and faecal incontinence and nocturnal enuresis, and their families.
Conditions we manage
Continence problems may include:
- bed wetting (also known as ‘enuresis’ or ‘nocturnal enuresis’) for children older than 5 ½ years
- wetting underwear/clothes during the day (urinary incontinence) after the age of 3 years
- pooing in underwear during the day (faecal incontinence) after being toilet trained, or after the age of 4 years
- being constipated.
Seeking early advice will help to reduce the chance of these issues becoming worse.
Our services
Services provided by the Continence/Enuresis Nursing Service include:
- clinical nursing care to children and families with daytime bladder and bowel dysfunction on an inpatient and outpatient basis
- a nurse-led Nocturnal Enuresis (Bedwetting) treatment programme
- ongoing nursing advice and support for the families of children born with Hirschsprung’s Disease and Ano-Rectal Malformations, including early intervention
- education for children and their families on intermittent urinary catheterisation and rectal irrigation
- nursing management and advice for Incontinence Associated Dermatitis (IAD) and Perianal Skincare guidelines.
Community Health Bedwetting program
CAHS Community Health also offers a bedwetting program. You can be referred to this service by your child or school health nurse, or your GP.
Find out more about this service here.
How to refer
If you have concerns about a continence issue, please see your child’s GP in the first instance. As well as providing care, the GP may refer you to us or other service providers for further support.
Continence
Patients with continence (daytime bladder and bowel issues) 0 to 16 years of age, must be referred by consultant or nurse practitioner.
Complex non-monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis
Patients with complex non-monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis 5 and a half to 16 years of age must be referred by specialist consultant or nurse practitioner.
GP pre-referral guidelines
Please follow the relevant pre-referral guideline for referral information and forms.