Bladder and Bowel Health

How can you support care home residents?

All care home  residents identified as having a new or worsening bladder and/or bowel dysfunction should have initial assessment completed by care home staff. A treatment and/or management plan should then be implemented and reviewed.

You can access assessment forms and other resources which can assist you with assessment, treatment and management of individual residents.

• Assessment/reassessment form for care homes with Registered Nurses
• Assessment/reassessment form for homes with no Registered Nurses
• Guidelines for completion of assessment/reassessment form  
• Bladder Diary (3 day)
• Toileting Schedules
• Bowel Assessment Chart
• Catheter Passport

Additional resources to support good practice

• Healthy Bladder and Bowel Leaflet
• Correct Toileting Position
• National Hydration information – Health Protection Scotland website with wide range of resources
• Skin Damage Assessment Tool
• Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) – diagnosis and treatment (poster)
• To dip or not to dip? – dipsticks do not diagnose UTI in the elderly (poster)

 How do you make a specialist referral?

There are two Bladder and Bowel Specialist Services:

• Edinburgh, East Lothian and Midlothian – based at Astley Ainsley Hospital
• West Lothian – based at Strathbrock Partnership Centre, Broxburn

Contact information and referral forms available on Referral Pathways

Products

The Continence Care Service

The Continence  Care Service provides the following services for care home residents in Edinburgh, East Lothian and Midlothian:

List of services:

·         The Bladder and Bowel Nursing Team

·         Ontex Healthcare Home Delivery

·         Prescription and ordering service for adult urology items in conjunction with local pharmacies

Our purpose is to promote high quality professional assessment as foundation of high quality continence care.

Following assessment and diagnosis, a treatment plan is provided. If treatment is unsuccessful or inappropriate then assessment and registration to provide incontinence products from NHS Lothian formulary is put forward.

All residents with a new or worsening bladder and/or bowel problem must be fully assessed by care home staff and a treatment plan initiated prior to the consideration of ordering incontinence pad and urology items.

Incontinence pads are ordered via the Synergy system provided by Ontex Healthcare.  To register a resident submit a Care Home Product Requirement Form.  Registered residents orders are placed by calling 0345 216 0001.  

Urology items are ordered via the ELMS system provided by The City of Edinburgh Council.  To register a resident submit a Care Home Urology Appliance Request Form.  Registered residents orders are placed by calling 0131 537 4572 then press option 1.

·         Care Home Product Formulary (September 2023)

·         Care Home Product Requirement Form (March 2023)

·         Care Home Urology Appliance Request Form (September 2024)

·         Continence Products Trouble Shooting Guide

The aim being to ensure that residents are provided with the most appropriate product to meet their needs from the agreed national formulary.

Contact Details

Bladder and Bowel Nursing Team covering Edinburgh, East Lothian and Midlothian

Address:  Admin Building, Astley Ainslie Hospital, 133 Grange Loan, Edinburgh, EH9 2HL
E-mail:  BBNTeam@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
Telephone:  0131 446 4324 (for advice regarding assessment, diagnosis, treatment and management options)

E-mails are normally checked Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 8.00am and 4.00pm. 

Advice line for health professionals available Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 2.00pm to 4.00pm only.