Service Overview
Our Bladder and Bowel Service is based at Clarendon and is made up of registered nurses and an administrative team, who together offer a confidential and friendly service for men, women and children with bladder and bowel symptoms of South Tyneside and Sunderland. We operate nurse led clinics, offer support to secondary care, residential and nursing homes including home visits where needed.
The team advise on all aspects of continence promotion, assessment, treatment and management of continence related to both bladder and bowel conditions, incorporating all aspects of treatments appropriate to individual needs.
Incontinence is a common condition. It means the loss of bladder and/or bowel control and affects approximately 3 million people in the UK. Incontinence can affect everyone, regardless of gender, age, race or disability and can have an enormous impact on quality of life. It is not a disease but a symptom and therefore has many causes. It is important to seek help to find out what can be done about it.
We also assess, treat and advise on the following:
• Constipation
• Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections
• Pelvic Floor dysfunction
• Support and treatment post prostrate surgery
• Education of intermittent self-catheterisation
• Management of inflammatory disease
The Team
The team consists of the following staff:
- Clinical Team Manager of the Service
- Continence Specialists Nurse
- Children’s Specialists Nurses
- Adult Specialist Nurses
- Administration and Clerical Staff
Where we are based
The Bladder and Bowel Service for South Tyneside and Sunderland Community Services is based at:
Clarendon
Windmill Way
Hebburn
NE31 1AT
How you can contact us
Please contact the service on: 0191 283 4754
How can I access the service
You can self-refer into the service by calling 0191 2834754, or you will be referred by your GP, Community Nurse, Hospital Consultant or other healthcare professional who feels you need to be assessed and treated for a bladder and/or bowel problem. The service is also accessible via choose and book.
Is there anything I need to do before my appointment?
To help keep your bladder and bowel health you need to:
• Drink the recommended amount of fluid daily
Children
|
Age |
Sex |
Drinks |
|
4-8 years |
Female |
1000-1400ml |
|
Male |
1000-1400ml |
|
|
9-13 years |
Female |
1200-2100ml |
|
Male |
1400-2300ml |
|
|
14-18 years |
Female |
1400-2500 |
|
Male |
2100-3200 |
Adults
|
Try to drink 1.5 to 2 litres (6 to 8 mugs or 2.5 to 3.5 pints) per day. |
• Keep tea, coffee, fizzy drinks, alcohol and blackcurrant juice to a minimum, as these can irritate your bladder.
• Eat a well-balanced diet, including fruit and vegetables.
• Keep as active as you can, i.e. walking, using the stairs, swimming, etc.
• Complete your bladder and bowel charts before your appointment.
Information for Care homes re continence products
From April 2022, the product provider for containment products (pads) and delivery company who deliver these continence products has changed. This does not however change the process of obtaining products as a result of a completing a continence assessment. Care homes that have nursing residents, will continue to send completed continence assessments to the Bladder and Bowel Service who will process them.
If care homes have residential patients then the community staff will continue to complete the assessment and order containment products.
Click here for more info.
World Continence Week
World Continence Week is a health campaign that is ran every year to raise awareness of incontinence related issues. This year Continence Week is taking place between 20th-26th June and here are some top tips for keeping your bladder and bowel healthy.
