We are a community-based, nurse-led, specialist paediatric continence service helping children and young people in West Sussex.
We work closely with a wide variety of health, education, and social care professionals.
We are here to help children and young people experiencing constipation, soiling, day wetting and night wetting (enuresis).
Our team is made up of registered nurses, nurse associates and associate practitioners with specialist knowledge of children and young people's continence.
Prior to your child's appointment, parents or carers will receive a relevant pre-assessment bladder and bowel diary, via a link to our continence app – this will need to be completed in preparation for your child's initial assessment. Parents or carers are required to register with the young person's or child's name, date of birth and NHS number and complete these diaries/charts and return them to our service within four weeks of receiving the link. We will send routine text reminders to assist with completion.
Only after the diaries have been completed in full can we issue an appointment. This is an important element of the continence pathway – the success of improving continence relies on your help to apply interventions as advised.
If you do not find the Whzan app suitable to your needs, please contact the service for a paper copy of the diaries.
Completed diaries are reviewed by a children and young people's continence nurse and discussed with you and your child or young person at the initial appointment. The nurse will make direct contact with you prior to that appointment if they wish to query anything or advise on information within the diaries.
At the initial appointment, a comprehensive bladder and bowel assessment will be undertaken by an appropriately trained healthcare professional. This enables us to create an individual care plan and treatment recommendations to meet your child's needs. This may include the recommendation of medication which is then usually prescribed by your child's GP. If indicated for daytime and night time wetting an ultrasound bladder scan will be undertaken to establish if the bladder is emptying fully.
The individual care plan will include actions to be carried out at home and school.
Follow up appointments will include:
Following their assessment, some children and young people with complex additional needs and disability may be identified as eligible for containment product provision. This would usually be alongside a supported toileting skills plan.
Our nurse specialists and associate practitioners offer both telephone and face-to-face appointments.
You play an essential role in your child or young person's continence journey. This includes:
We accept referrals from health care professionals for children and young people who have a registered GP in West Sussex or Brighton and Hove.
The referral will need to detail what interventions/support have already been implemented by GPs, health visitors or school nurses, and the outcomes.
The age criteria for children and young people are as follows:
If a clinical need is identified regarding toilet skills potential after a nurse specialist assessment and further review by our associate practitioners, we can provide a contribution towards product provision from the age of 5 years, with the requirement of an annual review.
We have a number of clinics across West Sussex and Brighton and Hove.
Please check your appointment letter to see which location your child/ young person’s appointment will be at.
Our service is open Monday to Friday, from 9:00am to 4:00pm. We are closed on weekends and bank holidays.
We are not an out of hours or emergency service.
ERIC: The Children’s Bladder and Bowel Charity – charity website dedicated to improving children’s bowel and bladder health.
The Poo Nurses – website for the Childhood Constipation Service at Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust, which provides lots of useful resources and information.
Bladder and Bowel UK, supporting people with bladder and bowel problems – website with information on bladder and bowel health, providing lots of useful information and resources.
NICE Constipation in children and young people: diagnosis and management, clinical guideline – website covering diagnosing and managing constipation in children and young people up to 18.
NICE Bedwetting in under 19s, clinical guideline – website covering assessing and treating bedwetting in people aged under 19.
ERIC Interoception and toileting – useful website explaining how children start to understand their bodies and how this relates to toileting.
Kelly Mahler – Interoception – the website of occupational therapist Kelly Mahler, which contains useful information on interoception.
(Brace and Bulge) Technique. Pelvic Floor Physio Michelle Natural Constipation Relief in 3 Easy Steps ("MOO to POO") – video explaining how to empty your bowel in 3 easy steps.
Watch the poo in you video - useful video explaining constipation and how to avoid accidents.
Watch the Poo Nurses – useful video explaining constipation and the use of the medicine Macrogol.
Wee Poo and You – helpful video explaining how to have a healthy wee and poo.
How to identify and treat childhood constipation – helpful animation explaining what constipation is and the treatment for it.
If you need advice about our services, facilities or staff, or would like to make a comment, please contact Patient Advice and Liaison Services (PALS).
You can contact PALS by the following:
Tell us what you think about our services, what we are good at, where we can improve, and what matters to you? All feedback will be shared anonymously wherever possible, but if you have any questions about this, please ask.
