Our philosophy is that incontinence should not be accepted as inevitable; everyone has the right to continence where achievable. We provide a holistic bladder and bowel dysfunction service for patients in Bradford, Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven communities receiving referrals from GP’s, hospital, patients and their carer’s, along with other allied healthcare professionals.
Incontinence can be a psychologically and physically debilitating condition to live with and often people feel too ashamed and embarrassed to tell anyone about their problem. Bladder and bowel problems are very common in people of all ages. With appropriate investigation and management most people with incontinence can be cured, improved, or provided with appropriate products to manage the problem maintaining comfort and dignity.
Bladder incontinence can be caused by:
- Damage to nerves in sphincter muscles,
- Holding urine in too long (urine retention), which can damage the bladder,
- Having to urinate many times during day and night, often urgently (overactive bladder),
- Diarrhea,
- Constipation,
- Weakened pelvic floor muscles which can result in leaking urine when you cough, sneeze, laugh or exercise (stress incontinence).
Bowel incontinence can be caused by:
- Diarrhea,
- Constipation,
- Damage to the nervous system from disease or injury,
- Vaginal childbirth,
- Rectum bulging down into the anus (rectal prolapse),
- Rectum pushing into the vagina (rectocele),
- Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis,
- Weakened pelvic floor muscles which can result in bowel incontinence, particularly when pressure in the pelvis is increased during exercise or when laughing, coughing or sneezing (stress incontinence).
Referral advice
If you need advice and support regarding bladder and or bowel issues, you can speak with your GP or self refer to the Continence Service by phone on 01274 221167’, and we can help you further.
Please use the links below for some useful advice and leaflets that could support you
Leaflets:
Links:
- Bladder & Bowel UK home page – Bladder & Bowel UK (bbuk.org.uk)
- Supporting Your Bladder & Bowel Health | Bladder & Bowel Community (bladderandbowel.org)
- Urinary incontinence – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
- Bowel incontinence – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
- Continence – Dementia UK
- Incontinence Pads & Products Trusted By Millions Worldwide | TENA UK
- MS Society UK | Information, research and support | MS Society
- Homepage | Parkinson’s UK (parkinsons.org.uk)
- We are the expert, guiding voice for life after spinal cord injury – SIA