Five children laughing/smiling at the camera

Community paediatric continence service

The Community Paediatric Continence Service (Level 2) for children and young people aged 0-19 provides assessment, treatment and support for children and young people with bladder and bowel dysfunction, where first line intervention (Level 1) has not led to a resolution of the problem.

The aim of this service is to promote continence for all children and young people in order to try and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions and tertiary referrals. 

The service provides support for children and young people who experience daytime wetting, night time wetting and constipation either to achieve complete continence, or to manage their continence condition discreetly and effectively if full control is not clinically possible. This includes children with learning and/or physical difficulties.

The service offers:

  • Basic advice to promote healthy bladders and bowels to reduce the risk of issues becoming chronic such as constipation.
  • Provide initial advice on nocturnal enuresis, constipation and toilet training problems.
  • Provide bed alarms on loan for the treatment of nocturnal enuresis.
  • The treatment programme may include the prescription of stimulant laxatives or macrogols for constipation/desmopressin for enuresis/anticholinergic medication for overactive bladder syndrome. These will be prescribed by the GP following recommendation by the community paediatric continence nurse.
  • Advice available for Level 1 services in relation to the assessment and ordering of containment products.

This service comprises of one Band 7 Specialist Paediatric Continence Nurse who is holds a Children’s Nursing Qualification (RN qualification) and has extensive experience of working with young people for over 25 years.

There is also one Administrator with many years of experience in NHS administration who works part time (Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s only 9am-5.30pm).

Prior to the initial consultation

You will be asked to complete a bowel and bladder diary with your child and return to the service via email as soon as possible — paedcontinence@nelft.nhs.uk 

This will aid the team to assess the continence issue fully and advice on the appropriate treatment plan at the initial assessment. Instructions on how to do this will be on the charts. Delay in completing this will delay treatment. 

We ask for bowel and bladder diaries even if it is only a single continence issue e.g. bowel or bladder, as a problem with one can affect the function of the other. 

What to expect at your first appointment

Our skilled nurse specialist will carry out a full assessment with you to identify the bowel or bladder problem which will last approximately 1 hour. This is done through general conversation via an initial telephone consultation. There are no physical examinations during the assessment. Face to face appointments can be requested if you felt your child would benefit from this interaction with the nurse. 

At the end of the assessment a plan of care to best meet the needs of the child will be agreed.

This may include;

  • Advice and information
  • Toileting support/advice
  • Daytime wetting support/treatment
  • Supply of continence products (criteria apply)
  • Support/treatment for  constipation and/or soiling
  • Night-time wetting support/ treatment (Nocturnal Enuresis)

Following the initial assessment your child will be reviewed regular intervals to assess progress and offer support and guidance during the treatment plan.

Once the bowel or bladder problem has been successfully treated or managed as best it can then you will be discharged from the service.  Your child may also be referred to hospital services if the continence issue can not be resolved or managed sufficiently.

Clinic information

Clinics are held every Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday by the Paediatric Continence Specialist Nurse. Assessments with the Paediatric Continence Specialist Nurse are a blend of telephone and face to face consultations with also the availability of video calling as appropriate to meet the needs of the individual family. 

Face to face clinics are held at:

Specialist Community Health Services for Children and Young People
The Grove
Grove Road
Chadwell Heath
RM6 4XH

Clinic telephone number: 0300 300 1618
Paediatric specialist continence Team email address:  PaedContinence@nelft.nhs.uk

Information for parents

Follow the link to ERIC's website for information on children’s bladder and bowel - go to Information and Advice heading for further information — ERIC

How to prepare macrogol laxatives.docx [docx] 51KB

Referral information

Referrals are only accepted from G.P / School Health/Health Visiting) / Community/ Hospital Consultants and any other professionals.

Referrals can be emailed using the single referral form through single point of access (SPA) — please click here for the form Single Point of Access Referral to Redbridge Children's Services

Referral route

Following Level 1 intervention the NELFT SPA Referral Form must be completed and sent to the service as below:

  • Email form to SPAreferrals.Redbridge@nelft.nhs.uk
  • Referrals are only accepted from GP/School Health/Health Visiting)/Community/Hospital Consultants and any other professionals.
  • Referrer must demonstrate that a physical assessment has been completed to rule out any underlying concerns.
  • Referrer must demonstrate that there has been Level 1 intervention — Basic advice to promote healthy bladders and bowels to reduce the risk of issues becoming chronic such as constipation – fluid intake / dietary advice ,providing initial advice on nocturnal enuresis, constipation and toilet training problems – ERIC and National Bowel and Bladder parent/child leaflets / fluid diaries / toileting routines/ raising awareness of children with disabilities and developmental needs requiring early support with toileting.

Useful information resource for parents/professionals to use prior to making a referral WWW.eric.org.uk.

Referral criteria

  • The service will offer assessment, treatment and support to children and young people aged 0-19 years with level 2 continence needs (night time wetting/daytime wetting/constipation and soiling). Children between 0-2 years will be considered following discussion with the Specialist Paediatric Continence Nurse.

Exclusion criteria

  • Young People aged 19 years and over. (Young people who are due to turn 19 whilst under the Paediatric Continence Service will be transferred to the Adult Continence Service if the input is still required as per NICE Guidance).
  • Children and Young People not living in the BHR CGG areas (with BHR GP).
  • Children and Young People who have not received initial advice, input and review from Tier 1 services (0-19 Universal Services/Health Visiting/School Nursing/GP).

Those children not requiring level 2 intervention but require continence containment products will be supported/assessed and managed under the care of Universal Services – Please contact: