Our services
Continence
About the service
Bladder and bowel problems are very common in people of all ages. Our continence team offers specialist nursing assessment, advice and support to people over 16 years of age across Bradford, Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven who are experiencing bladder and/or bowel difficulties that can lead to incontinence.
We know that sometimes people can feel ashamed and embarrassed about this and find it difficult to tell anyone about their problem. We are here to help, so please don’t be embarrassed about asking for support from us. Everyone has the right to continence where possible. With appropriate investigation and management most people with incontinence can have their symptoms improved, cured, or made easier to live with, maintaining comfort and dignity.
How to access
To receive the help and support of our team you can be referred to us by your GP, hospital consultant, specialist nurse or another health professional. You can also self-refer, by contacting our team on 01274 221167.
How to find us
We are based in several local community clinics:
Keighley Health Centre , Oakworth Road, Keighley BD21 1SA
Shipley Health Centre , Alexandra Road, Shipley, BD18 3EG
Settle Clinic – Townhead GP surgery, Town Head, Settle, BD24 9JA
Skipton General Hospital – Outpatients department, Keighley Road, Skipton, BD23 2RJ
Contact
Contact
For all continence queries please contact our team on 01274 221167.
Use the tabs below to explore this section further.
What to expect
Referral
Any health professional can make a referral on your behalf by using the online forms within Systm One (clinical health record), or you can self-refer by calling 01274 221167.
Waiting list
Once your referral is received, it will be reviewed by a specialist continence nurse, and you will be booked to see the most appropriate health professional for your needs. We are a specialist team who with work with you to improve and manage your bladder and/or bowel symptoms.
Assessment
Following your referral being reviewed, you will be sent a letter regarding your appointment. Please ensure to bring with you a urine sample if stated so on the letter and complete any bladder or bowel diaries that have been included. These assessment tools can allow the nurse to better understand your symptoms and advise the most appropriate course of treatment or management.
After your appointment
After your initial appointment, you will be given a follow up appointment where your treatment and management plan will be reviewed.
Useful links
You may find these resources helpful:
Eat well – NHS advice on eating a healthy, balanced diet
10 ways to stop leaks – NHS advice on urinary incontinence
Reducing alcohol – NHS advice on cutting down on alcohol if you regularly drink more than 14 units a week
Weight loss plan – NHS advice on making small, simple changes to help you lose weight
Stop Smoking – NHS advice on stopping smoking, its never too late to quit
Drinking for a healthy bladder – advice on what and how much to drink from bladderandbowel.org
Bladder and Bowel Community – supporting millions of people in the UK who are living with conditions that affect their bladder or bowel. Support, information and guidance whether you have a condition yourself or are a relative, friend or carer of someone who does.
TENA Direct | Shop for TENA incontinence products – online retailer for pads
Continence pads provision
We need to make some changes to our continence pads provision
Bradford District Care Trust is commissioned to provide continence pads for adults in Bradford District and Craven who have had a specialist assessment of their needs. The cost of providing these pads has risen greatly over the last five years, whilst our budget has stayed the same, leading to a deficit.
In the last year 2024/25, the total spend on continence pads provision was approximately £2.1 million against a budget of c£1.3 million, leading to an overspend of more than £720,000.
As there is no additional budget available, we are proposing some changes which will enable us to reduce spending whilst ensuring we continue to support our service users. We propose three key changes:
- extending our delivery cycles,
- stopping the provision of lower absorbency pads, and
- reducing the number of pants and pads provided free of charge.
Full details of why we need to make these changes, the changes we propose and how we aim to be fair and supportive to our service users, especially people with the greatest need, are available here:
- proposed changes to continence pads provision – please use the ‘select language’ tool at the top right of the page next to the search button to view the page in the language of your choice
- easier read version of proposed changes to continence pads provision.
Please give your feedback on the proposed changes
We are keen to hear your thoughts and views on the proposed changes. You can do this by:
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- filling in this short online questionnaire
- requesting a paper version of the questionnaire, or a version in a different language by calling us on 01274 221167 or emailing continencefeedback@bdct.nhs.uk – we will post this to your home address and ask you to post your feedback to Continence Engagement, New Mill, Victoria Road, Saltaire, BD18 3LD
- attending one of our in-person or online engagement events
Feedback events
To book for any of these in-person or online events, please call us on 01274221167 or email continencefeedback@bdct.nhs.uk.
Keighley – Friday 10 October, 10.00am – 12.00pm, Central Hall, Alice Street, Keighley, BD21 3JD – get directions
Online – Monday 13 October, 6.00pm – 7.00pm, online (we will send you a link to join the event when you book)
Skipton – Wednesday 15 October, 12.00pm – 2.00pm Skipton Town Hall (Education Room), High Street, Skipton BD23 1AH – get directions
Bradford – Wednesday 22 October, 12.30pm – 2.30pm, The Thornbury Centre (John Day Hall), 79 Leeds Old Road, Bradford, BD3 8JX – get directions
Collecting and reviewing your feedback
We are collecting feedback from service users and others until midnight on Friday 5 December.
We will review all the feedback we receive up to and including that date and create an outcome report which we will upload here one week after the consultation closes.
Register for digital letters
Improving the way we communicate with you
We’re working to improve the way we communicate with you. Over the coming months some of our services will offer you the option to receive important information, like appointment and outcome letters digitally via your smartphone, tablet or computer.
If you wish to receive digital letters
To receive digital letters from us via your smartphone, tablet or computer you have two options:
1 Register with Patients Know Best (PKB) to view letters from us on the PKB patient engagement platform, or
2 Register with the NHS App (download via the Apple App Store or on Google Play) and Patients Know Best so that you receive notifications that you have letters from us on the PKB patient engagement platform.
How to register to receive digital letters
Not all of Bradford District Care Trust’s services currently offer the option to receive appointment and outcome letters digitally. If the service you are using does offer this option, you will be sent an email or text with a link to first register with Patients Know Best.
Registering with Patients Know Best
You must register with Patients Know Best to receive digital letters from us via either the PKB portal or the NHS App.
Find out more about Patients know best here.
Find out how to register with Patients Know Best here.
Once you have registered you will be able to log in using your smartphone, tablet or computer to view your appointment or outcome letters online.
If you wish to be notified of letters from us and use all the benefits of the NHS App you also need to register for the NHS App and link the NHS App with Patients Know Best – this is easy and quick to do.
Registering with the NHS App
If you have not yet downloaded the NHS App, simply search for ‘NHS App’ in the App Store or Google Play and follow the instructions – or click the buttons below.
If you don’t have a smart device you can also sign up and access the service via a web browser.
Once you have the NHS App follow the instructions below to link it to Patients Know Best.
Linking the NHS App to Patients Know Best
To receive notifications that you have digital letters from us and get access to those letters via the NHS App you need to follow some further steps:
- open ‘Messages’ in the NHS App and select ‘consultations, events and messages’.
- a message will open asking if you agree to share your NHS login information with Patients Know Best. Click ‘I agree’.
- register with your email address, a strong password and a security question.
- accept the privacy agreement and click the ‘Register’ button.
- you’re all set – next time you log into the NHS App you will be able to see both your GP and BDCT appointment information.
Get full details on accessing Patients know Best using the NHS App.
Benefits of registering to receive digital letters
Whether you choose to register with both the NHS App and Patients Know best, or just Patients Know Best you will benefit from:
- access to a secure online space to view any letters relating to your care
- access to your information on any internet-enabled device, anywhere, anytime
- the ability to cancel or request to reschedule your appointment without having to call us – giving you more choice and control over your care
- the option (if you wish) to share this information with family, carers and other health professionals
- the knowledge that you are helping Bradford District Care Trust to reduce the amount of paper we use, so we can reduce our impact on the environment, as well as helping to lower our postage costs by reducing the number of letters sent, freeing up NHS budget for other uses.
For more information please read the frequently asked questions below.
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What is a patient engagement platform?
A patient engagement platform is a digital tool that enables patients and healthcare providers to communicate, share information and manage appointments online anytime, anywhere.
Patients can securely access, add and share information with healthcare providers, other relevant professionals, family and carers anytime, anywhere. This is aimed at improving care coordination and enhancing experience.
We have chosen to use Patients Know Best (PKB) as our patient engagement platform.
What is Bradford District Care Trust using PKB for?
At the moment Bradford District Care Trust is only using the PKB patient engagement platform for digital appointment and outcome letters and for digital health passports for children in care and care leavers, but if we widen our use of PKB, we will let you know.
Is it a free service?
Yes, it’s free to register and easy to use.
Do I still get a paper copy of my letter?
If you have not read your digital letter in the patient platform five days before your appointment date, a paper letter will be sent to your address, but your digital letter will be available to you at any time by signing into your Patients Know Best (PKB) account.
Will I need an email address to register?
Yes. you can only use one unique email address per registration. You can’t use a family/carer shared email, if your family/carer already uses that email for their own Patients Know Best (PKB) account. If you registered using the NHS App, it will automatically use the email address linked to that account.
Do I need an internet connection?
You will need an internet enabled device and an internet connection on your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone to access your information in the patient portal.
How can I see my information?
Once you are registered, you can access your digital letters through the Patients Know Best website.
Why is my PKB account empty?
Some patients may not have any information in their records when they first register, however this will change over time. You can still add your own information, such as tracking your symptoms or recording any medication you take.
I’ve already registered for PKB with another Trust, can I use this log in?
If you receive some health services from a different NHS Trust, then you may already be signed up for Patients Know Best (PKB) and can continue to use the same log in details.
Is my data secure?
As a patient of Bradford District Care Trust, we will continue to hold responsibility for your data. You can choose to opt-out at any time. We use Patients Know Best (PKB) software. This meets NHS requirements for health record systems and is compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Only the minimum level of data needed has been uploaded. All personal and health information stored is encrypted to help make it more secure.
How do I update my contact details in Patients Know Best (PKB)?
If you have changed your email address, please follow these instructions on how to update your email for your PKB account. Please also contact the service you are using at Bradford District Care Trust to tell us your new email and/or postal address so we can update our records.
Where can I get further help and support?
Questions about your appointment letter – please contact the Bradford District Care Trust service which sent your letter.
Questions about technical issues, please email the technical team at Patients Know Best help@patientsknowbest.com, or complete this form. Do not share any personal or clinical information with the team at PKB.