Bladder and Bowel Service :: East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust

What we do

The Bladder and Bowel Service provides a specialist nursing assessment, treatment and management service for those individuals experiencing bladder and bowel incontinence and chronic bladder and bowel conditions from the age of 4 years old.

The service works closely with other community nursing disciplines and nursing and residential care homes in providing assessment and treatment for children and adults. The service works with Urology, Urogynaecology, Paediatrics, Colorectal Services and other health care professionals. The Bladder and Bowel Service is provided for the residents of East Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen who are registered with a local GP Practitioner.

The Bladder and Bowel Service comprises of skilled, professional clinical staff specialising in bladder and bowel conditions and are supported by a dedicated administration team.

Our clinical staff will:

Treat every patient with respect and dignity.
Provide an accessible and high-quality patient centred service.
Complete an assessment of the patient’s condition and develop a treatment or management plan with them that is specific to their individual needs.
Keep the patient fully informed of their planned care to enable them to make informed and supported choices.
Provide every patient with a high standard of care based on current clinical guidance and pathways.
Make every patient’s visit to our service as supportive as possible.

We provide a full assessment and tailor care to specific needs. We will always discuss care with each patient to make sure that their individual needs are met.

How to access the service

The Bladder and Bowel Service is provided for the residents of East Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen who are registered with a local GP Practitioner.

The service accepts referrals from health care professionals only, for example Consultant, GP, School Nurse. Referrals are electronic on the service referral form which can be e-mailed to:

BladderAndBowelService@elht.nhs.uk

Please note when referring men to our service a prostate health review must be undertaken prior to referral.

Where to find us

All appointments are held at:

The Bladder and Bowel Service

Accrington Victoria Community Hospital

1st Floor (above Outpatients Department)

Haywood Road

Accrington

Lancashire

BB5 6AS

Service Lead

Jay Barker - Clinical Team Leader

Key staff

The Bladder and Bowel Service has both an adult and paediatric team along with a dedicated administration team.

General enquiries

For any general enquiries or advice about our service please contact us via:

Telephone: 01254 735002

E-mail: BladderAndBowelService@elht.nhs.uk

Opening times

Telephone lines are open 9am till 4pm Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays.

Clinics run from 9am till 5pm and are scheduled Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays.

Your appointment

What to expect:

The patient will receive a full assessment prior to beginning a treatment plan or management of their condition.
A bladder or bowel diary, along with any other relevant information and/or health questionnaire will be sent with an appointment for completion prior to assessment.
A urine sample and list of medication will be required at each appointment.

What happens at the appointment?

The patient will bring along a urine sample and their completed diaries and any other paperwork as directed in their appointment letter. This is an important part of the assessment.
The Nurse will take a full medical history from the patient and will review any current prescribed medication.
The Nurse may, with consent, scan the patient’s bladder. The patient will be asked to lie down on an examination couch and lift their clothing so that a probe can be place on the tummy. The scan will indicate how much urine is in the bladder after going to the toilet.
If any other examination is required, the Nurse will discuss fully with the patient and gain their consent beforehand.
If the patient would like a chaperone present, they can speak to the Nurse on the day of their appointment prior to any examination taking place.

What happens after the appointment?

The Nurse will write to the referrer updating them of the outcome of the patient’s assessment.
If a prescription is required, the Nurse may also write to the patients GP to request, this is usually ready for the patient 7-10 days following their appointment.
If any onward referrals for further treatment have been discussed and agreed with the patient, the Nurse will complete these and send to the appropriate department.
The Nurse may have discussed equipment or containment products with the patient at their appointment, the patient will be given the appropriate information to obtain further supplies.

What to do if symptoms change?

If a patient experiences problems or symptoms become worse, they will need to discuss with their GP and request to be re-referred to the Bladder and Bowel Service.

Patients who remain on the caseload for review may contact the department to request to speak with a Nurse by telephone on 01254 735002. The telephone lines are open 9am till 4pm Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays.