Resources

This World Continence Week (16-22 June) ERIC, The Children’s Bowel & Bladder Charity have launched a campaign with TV star Mollie Pearce and 8-year-old Katie Thirling, who both have stomas, to raise awareness and break the stigma around bowel and bladder issues.  

Around 10,500 people are diagnosed with bladder cancer in the UK every year. It's the 11th most common cancer in the UK, and the 7th most common cancer in men (Cancer Research UK, 2025a).  Bladder cancer is most common in older people. Almost 60% of new cases are in people aged 75 years and over, and it is rare in people under 40 years of age. More men than women get bladder cancer. This may be because more men than women have smoked or been exposed to chemicals at work in recent decades (Cancer Research UK, 2025a).

With a quarter of children now starting school not toilet trained, ERIC, The Children’s Bowel and Bladder Charity is launching an intervention to help reverse the trend, and is inviting families and healthcare professionals to hop aboard the Toilet Train.

Over the last century, the average age that children are being potty trained in the UK has risen from 12–18 months, to an average of around three or even four years today (Blum et al, 2004).

Over the past few decades, advances in technology have revolutionised the field of urology. From diagnostic tools to surgical techniques, these innovations have greatly improved the way urological conditions are diagnosed and treated. The integration of technology into urology services has revolutionised diagnosis, treatment and patient care. From advanced imaging techniques to minimally invasive surgical procedures, technology plays a crucial role in improving outcomes and enhancing patient experience in urological care. This article discusses a number of these innovations and looks at how they are influencing urology practice. 

Intermittent catheterisation is considered the gold standard for urine drainage (Holroyd, 2018). It can be used as treatment for voiding problems due to disturbances or injuries to the nervous system, non-neurogenic bladder dysfunction, or intravesical obstruction with incomplete bladder emptying (Royal College of Nursing [RCN], 2018). Irrespective of the underlying cause, patients with voiding problems frequently find themselves having to make use of a catheter to drain their bladder when it fills and thereby undertake regular intermittent self-catheterisation (ISC). Intermittent catheterisation involves the introduction of a catheter into the bladder and its immediate removal when drainage stops, a process which needs to be repeated four to six times a day (Holroyd, 2018). The experience of performing ISC, while straightforward for some, can be both difficult and painful for others (Guinet-Lacoste et al, 2016; Rognoni and Tarricone, 2017).

Nurses and nursing leaders continue to be overwhelmed by increasing challenges as the call to demonstrate higher levels of resilience gains momentum. And yet nurses continue to be faced with unparalleled levels of adversity, leading to a loss of hope, with many choosing to leave the profession rather than continue to be exposed to unyielding levels of stress that have the potential to threaten the survival of the profession itself. With this in mind, this paper focuses on the importance of nurses working collaboratively through the process of coaching, a construct gaining momentum as the profession seeks to expand and facilitate new ways of working in order to develop both current and future nursing leaders and, in so doing, not only strengthen the voice of nursing, but also improve the way in which nurses practice.

It is estimated that 1.5 million children and young people (Paediatric Continence Forum [PCF], 2024), that is one in 12, across the UK battle debilitating, misunderstood and sometimes complex bowel or bladder conditions, including bedwetting, daytime wetting, chronic constipation and soiling.
This is a far bigger issue than many might think. Stigma around continence issues means that they are not talked about as much as other health conditions, and some people even delay seeking professional help because of embarrassment, or because they simply do not know what is wrong.

Chronic kidney disease is an ongoing decline of renal function which may progress quite rapidly or develop slowly over many years. Once diagnosed, patients are likely to become increasingly frequent attenders within general practice. This article provides an overview of the disease process and the multifaceted care needs of this specific patient group.

Have you heard about CLP Continence? It’s a dedicated platform, where we empower nurses specialising in continence care to become clinical leaders in their field. Our Clinical Leadership Programme is an educational resource designed to elevate your expertise and advance your career.

Find out about a recently launched guide for catheter users providing comprehensive information about the different types of catheters, their uses, and the latest innovations in technology.