About the service
We are a small nurse led service, providing a confidential, friendly service to children registered with Gateshead GP between 1-19 years who are experiencing on going bladder and bowel problems where primary advice and interventions have not been successful.
- Constipation
- Soiling
- Day time wetting (over 5 years old)
- Urine urgency
- Nocturnal enuresis
- Specialist support for toilet skill development
Our Team
Michelle Newton
Children’s Bladder and Bowel Specialist Nurse
Rachel Doherty
Children’s Bladder and Bowel Specialist NurseHow to be referred to the Bladder and Bowel service
Child and family have followed universal bladder and bowel care and advice with the support from their Health Visitor, School Nurse, GP or other health care professional involved in their care.
Child health care professional can refer on to this specialist service after 3 months of bowel interventions and medication management or 6 months of toilet training programmes have not shown any progress and continues to experience on-going bladder and bowel problems.
How to opt into this service after referral
Each referral is triaged to ensure child condition meets children Bladder and Bowel Specialist service criteria. If your child does not meet the specialist service criteria the family and child GP will be copied into a letter which is sent to the referrer with information of alternate services and support.
If child meets the service criteria the family are asked to opt into the service by attending a two hour ‘Adult Information session’. If family do not attend the session or contact Bladder and Bowel service the child will be discharged from service informing GP and referrer.
After attending the adult information session the family and child are expected to follow all advice given in the session for minimum of 8 weeks
If after 8 weeks the child continues to experience on-going bladder and bowel problems, with no signs of improvement, family are required to contact Bladder and Bowel service to opt into the service and request an initial face to face appointment.
If no contact from family to request an appointment within 12 weeks the child will be discharged from the service informing GP and referrer.
What you can expect at your appointment
A specialist nurse will take a medical history and comprehensive assessment of child and family.
Information will be taken relating to fluid intake, toileting habits including daytime night time urine and bowels giving an accurate history. The assessment will give the nurse an insight into how to manage bladder and bowel symptoms and develop a programme of care, therefore it is essential to bring your child ‘s assessment charts to every appointment.
Abdominal examinations, bladder scan, urinalysis, and stool specimens may be required to reach a diagnosis or explore differential diagnosis
The nurse will provide health promotional advice individualised information, advice and suggestions to change treatment plan and medications to reach full healthy bowel and bladder habits.
The nurse may prescribe continence aids to assist the child’s condition or may prescribe disposable containment products for children who have Neuropathic bladder/bowel.
The nurse may prescribe disposable containment products for children over 5 years old who have underlying medical reason for not being able to attain continence and have engaged with individualised targeted toilet skill development programme for 6 months and not shown any improvements.
Targeted toilet skill development programme and disposable containment prescription are required to be reviewed minimal yearly to assess development of child and the appropriateness of disposable containment products before prescription continued.
Review Bladder and Bowel appointments can be either face to face or telephone appointments
Referral to other Health and Social services can be supported if appropriate
Cancelling your appointment
- If need to cancel child appointment or rearrange please call ‘As Soon As Possible’ any none attendance to child appointments this service follows Gateshead ‘was not brought policy’ which includes completing a ‘Cause for Concern’ form and referral to social services if necessary.
Toilet Training
Support for Children at School
Continence Aids
Useful Resources
Useful Websites
- Bladder and Bowel UK
- The Children’s Bladder and Bowel Charity
- Growing Healthy
- Colostomy UK
- Mitrofanoff support
- Down Syndrome UK
- Shine Charity
- ERIC
How to contact the service
Monday to Friday 8:30am – 4:00pm excluding Bank Holidays
The Gateshead Local Offer brings together information for children and young people aged 0-25 years with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families.
This includes information about services and support, and advice and guidance on education, health, social care and transport.”
Gateshead Local Offer SEND 0 to 25 Years – Gateshead Local Offer SEND 0 to 25 years (gateshead-localoffer.org)