Achieving control of bladder and bowel function is a normal part of development for most children and young people. Some children and young people need more help than most to achieve full control and some will need on-going support to be as independent as possible in this area.
Advice and support is available from our nursing teams including:
- health visiting
- school nursing
- specialist school nurses (who are based in Surrey schools for pupils with severe learning difficulties).
- community nurses (who support children and young people with long-term constipation).
Access to this service is open to those who live in Surrey, have a Surrey GP or attend a Surrey school. Some aspects of the service may have slightly different criteria and we will tell you if this is the case and help you find the right provider for your child or young person.
Please read the sections below for information about:
- potty training and early toileting advice and support
- constipation
- nocturnal enuresis (night-time bedwetting)
- daytime enuresis (wetting).
These sections also have contact details for the service if you need to contact the teams or change your appointment.
Contact your local health visiting, school nursing or special school nursing teams if you have questions about potty training, improving bowel habits and avoiding constipation, becoming dry at night, help when it’s not going right or home / school life is making it worse.
Useful resources
- 'Boss of your bladder' leaflet
- NHS website for potty training tips
- ERIC website - the children's bowel and bladder charity
- Bladder and Bowel UK website
- National Autistic Society website
If you’ve tried to improve your child's bowel habits and it hasn’t worked, please speak to your GP and your local health visiting or school nursing team for support.
If you need specific support with medicines prescribed by your GP, your GP may refer you to the Children's Community Nursing service.
Useful resources
ERIC website (the children's bowel and bladder charity)
The nocturnal enuresis service is for when your child or young person is dry in the daytime but still wets the bed on most nights of the week and you’ve tried all the tips from early toileting advice and support (see section above).
You can talk to your local health visiting, school nursing or special school nursing teams or contact your GP for a referral to this part of the service or make a referral yourself through the One Stop Referral Service. Your child/young person must be five years old or more to access this.
The process of becoming dry at night requires commitment from both the child and their parent/carer.
We will support you using the evidence-based three systems approach (NICE 2016) and focus on the three main reasons that children and young people find it difficult to be dry at night.
To help you, we sometimes use a booklet called ‘Inspector Ted’ which has lots of information and advice as well as supporting your attendance at clinic appointments. You can download the charts you may need from the 'useful resources' section below.
Your first appointment will be at a local clinic. We do not do a physical examination as part of our assessment. Follow-up appointments may be in clinic or by phone.
Contact us
Please contact us through your local School Nursing team.
Useful resources
The Continence service is for children/young people who are not dry in the daytime and when you have tried all the advice from early toileting advice and support.
Some children may need more help than most to achieve full control and some will need ongoing support to be as independent as possible in this area.
You can talk to your local health visiting or school nursing teams, specialist school nurses or contact your GP for a referral to the Continence service or make a referral yourself through the One Stop Referral Service.
Following a referral to us, we will assess your child or young person’s continence needs and develop a plan of support that works for them and for you.
Part of this plan may be through the provision of containment products for those children and young people who are over 4 years of age and are not able/ready to have control of their bladder and bowel. If this is the case, we will work with you to find suitable products.
Contact us
If you need to contact the Continence team, please call 07713 094 697.
Useful resources
- Bladder and Bowel UK website
- ERIC website (the children's bowel and bladder charity)
- National Autistic Society website (toilet training advice)