Blackburn with Darwen’s Local Offer

Lancashire’s Health Services

1. East Lancashire Hospitals Trust NHS – Continence Service
East Lancashire Hospitals Trust NHS Community Continence Serviceis a specialist nurse-led tier 2 NHS service providing assessment and treatment for adults and children and young people (age 4 years and over) who have complex and persistent bladder and bowel conditions.
Continence care for children and young people:
The service supports and promotes physical and emotional health and wellbeing for children and young people who have medium to long-term bladder and bowel problems. The service aims to promote continence to ensure that optimum health, hygiene and developmental goals are achieved.
The service offers a range of expertise in bladder and bowel conditions including:
·  Chronic constipation
·  Faecal incontinence
·  Hirschsprung's disease/ano-rectal malformations
·  Daytime enuresis
·  Nocturnal enuresis
·  Neuropathic bladder and bowel conditions
·  Continence management systems
·  Toilet training advice for children with special needs
Interventions could range from one session to on-going support and involvement with the service depending on the presenting problem.
2. Address and contact details and area covered
The main location of the service and contact details are:
·  Accrington Victoria Hospital, Haywood Road, Accrington, Lancashire, BB8 8RJ -01254 359129
The service works across East Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen with clinics based at a variety of community locations. Home and school visits are offered where required.
The service is available 9.00 am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday. Outside working hours if there was an emergency the family would be directed to contact their G.P. as appropriate.
3. The service is for:
This service is designed to serve children and young people between the ages of 4-19 years who have a range of bladder and bowel problems. To be eligible to receive the service, the child or young person should be aged between 4 - 19 years and be registered with a Lancashire GP in Burnley, Pendle, Rossendale, Hyndburn, Ribble Valley, Blackburn or Darwen footprint.
Transition into adult continence services begins at age 17 years and as we are a small team this is usually a seamless process enabling the adult nursing team to meet young people and their families when continuous care into adulthood is needed.
4. Accessing the Service
The child or young person can be referred into the service if they are experiencing bladder and bowel problems by professionals, family, carers or through self-referral.
Initial assessment of need will be completed by a school nurse and they will begin initial treatment. Where treatment is unsuccessful, or needs are complex, referral into the Continence Service will be accepted.
The team can be contacted directly to gain advice, support or signposting. The service can be accessed free of charge. Waiting lists exist however individual needs are reviewed at referral and allocated for initial assessment accordingly.
5. Decision making processes used to determine who is eligible to receive a service.
The child or young person will be eligible to receive the service if they are aged between 4 - 19 years and are registered with a Lancashire GP in 4 - 19 years and are registered with a Lancashire GP in Burnley, Pendle, Rossendale, Hyndburn, Ribble Valley, Blackburn or Darwen footprint.
The team will assess the referral to decide whether the service is appropriate. If the team require more information they will try to contact the referrer and / or the family and school nurse once the permission of the family is obtained. If clarity cannot be established the team will offer a consultation appointment to assess whether the Continence Service can meet the young person’s needs.
6. Methods of communication with service users/patients and how they are involved in decision making/planning:
Children and Young People are directly consulted about their plan of care and decisions made about future care options. Staff will ensure that care plans are sensitive to children’s needs and that young people contribute to their future care plans. Parents and carers’ views will also be considered in the context of care planning to ensure that the needs of the whole family are taken in to account.
The service encourages Children and Young People and their families to voice their views about the service either directly to the nurse involved in delivering their care, contacting the service manager, or through ELHT Patient Advice and Liaison Service.
Other methods of communication include:
·  Service user information leaflets
·  Phone calls to families
·  Patient experience Satisfaction Survey
·  Quarterly Continence Service Newsletter
The service accesses bilingual interpreters as appropriate for families whose first language is not English. Parents or carers may be present at appointments and will be informed of how their child is doing.
7. Service Accessibility:
All the health centres and community hospital sites are wheelchair accessible and have disabled toilet facilities. Appointments can be offered in a variety of locations including health centres, community hospital, family homes, and mainstream schools.
There is no out of hours service. If there was an emergency the family would be directed to contact their G.P as appropriate.
8. Workforce Skills and Training
All staff are compliant with mandatory training requirements and have completed an annual personal development review with learning and development opportunities identified. All staff have undertaken specific training in bladder and bowel care appropriate for their role in the team.
9. Contacts for further information
www.childhoodconstipation.com
www.eric.org.uk
www.disabledliving.co.uk/PromoCon/About
www.bladderandbowelfoundation.org
10. Feedback
Queries, compliments and complaints can be discussed with a member of staff or team manager. If you wish to make a formal complaint or compliment we advise that you contact the ELHT Patient Advice and Liaison Service: www.elht.nhs.uk/patients/pals Tel: 0800 587 2586.
Incidents and complaints are investigated thoroughly and lessons learnt shared with those concerned and the wider professional team.
Patient experience surveys are distributed to families and children via random selection throughout the year.

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