Community Bladder and Bowel Service Portsmouth

Full service description

About our service

The Continence Service has changed its name to the Community Bladder and Bowel Service; responding to patients’ suggestions and feedback from a questionnaire.  It would appear the word “continence" no longer reflects the holistic / complex diagnostic, treatment and care we provide. This is also in line with national similar services across the country changing their names to Bladder and Bowel Service.

The Community Bladder and Bowel Service is an excellent service for patients, carers and relatives and has a number of different elements to the service. With any service like this, there is a tendency to focus on pad provision for patients and not treatment, this service is different and ensures that patients get extensive treatment to try and help resolve and improve conditions rather than just relying on pad provision.

How our service can help

Our service can help in a number of different ways. Initial assessments provided could include:

• Assessment and examination to include vaginal and rectal examination as indicated.
• Prostate (digital rectal examination) and prolapsed assessment (vaginal ex) and bladder scans to determine whether the patient has residual urine. Please note, no anticholinergic agent medication should be given before a bladder scan.
• Urolometry to help the diagnosis of obstruction, stricture and poor bladder pressure.
• The development of a management treatment plan that the patient can take ownership
• Treatment such as bladder retraining, bio-feedback and pelvic floor exercises. Our staff are fully trained in these areas and have regular updates.
• Prescription of containment products if required, which includes pads.

Please click the links below for further details on first contacts with the service and our advanced clinics.

First contacts

Advanced clinics. 

Conditions treated by our service

Our service can help treat a number of conditions, and a wide range of treatment options are used to ensure each individual gets the care that is right for them.

Conditions treated include:

·         Bladder dysfunction - SUI, mixed UI and OAB.

·         Bowel dysfunction - faecal incontinence, flatus incontinence, obstructed defecation.

·         Pelvic floor dysfunction - e.g. vaginal pain, dyspareunia and sexual dysfunction, vulvodynia, vaginismus, anismus, PFM dyssynergia, hypertonicity or hypotonicity of the PFM, post PFM surgery rehab where required.

·         Pelvic organ prolapses.

·         Patients who have sustained third or fourth degree obstetric perineal tears during delivery for prophylactic pelvic floor rehabilitation.

Treatments provided include:

• Supervised and individualised PFM rehabilitation / exercise programs.
• Advice and education as well as health promotion.
• Bladder re-training, fluid advice and analysis of bladder diaries.
• PFM EMG biofeedback training.
• Postural and core stability advice and exercise.
• Manual therapy pelvic floor techniques i.e. trigger point massage.
• Relaxation techniques.
• Advice on defecation dynamics, bowel retraining and diet.
• Liaison with secondary care MDT.
• Advice on devices i.e. vaginal weighted cones, home NMES units, pelvic floor educators, vaginal dilators, SUI vaginal inserts etc.