How and why we need to improve continence care

Around six million people in the UK experience continence issues to some degree, making it an important factor for quality of life and a significant health issue for the NHS. According to Chris Whitehouse, chairman of theUrology Trade Association, failure to ‘get it right’ would not only condemn patients to difficult circumstances and a miserable existence, but could also heap demands on the health service, at a time of acute pressure on resources.

For many people experiencing continence issues, these are just one part of their management of what can be chronic and degenerative conditions or injuries. Patients with spinal injuries, multiple sclerosis, and spina bifida, to name but a few, can experience continence issues as a frequent – sometimes persistent – but always unwelcome consequence of their conditions. Nevertheless, irrespective of the cause of the continence issues - if managed effectively – individuals may be able to go to work and about their daily lives with minimal inconvenience.

If continence issues are not managed effectively they rob the individual of their dignity and can dramatically reduce their quality of life. People can be left effective prisoners in their own homes, unable to go to work or to socialise with friends and family for fear of embarrassing incidents. In the most severe cases, unmanaged continence issues can be become far more serious, requiring significant healthcare intervention and possibly even hospitalisation – which is both bad for the patient, and a potentially avoidable additional cost to the health service.