Children and Young People Continence Services: What you told us

What we set out to achieve

NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (LICB) is revising the delivery of children and young people’s continence services.

Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) will continue to provide tier 1 support, offering advice, guidance, and signposting for bladder and bowel issues. However, from 1 January 2026, Lincolnshire County Council has ceased delivering tier 2 specialist continence services within its children’s nursing provision.

A new provider is being sought to deliver tier 2 services, with full arrangements expected by July 2026.  In the interim, some tier 2 support remains with Lincolnshire County Council while specific elements such as medication reviews and enuresis alarm assessments are being managed through GP services.

What we did

Between 13 April 2026 and 8 June 1016, we launched a public and staff survey.

The engagement sought views to understand:

• What is working well with the current children and young people’s specialist continence service.
• What requires improving with the children and young people specialist continence service.
• Your views on what a future specialist service should look like for children and young people.

Here’s how we reached people:

• We produced a public and staff survey for capturing feedback when speaking to individuals/attending groups.
• A public facing poster with QR codes and links to the survey was distributed to relevant groups, venues and professionals working within this area.
• 138 public and 26 staff survey responses

What you told us:

Main engagement findings:

• Overall satisfaction with the continence service was high, with families valuing staff expertise, compassion and support.
• The service was seen to improve children’s health, independence, confidence and quality of life.
• Specialist continence advice and education helped families manage conditions effectively and complemented other healthcare support.
• Positive partnership working between continence services, schools, GPs and paediatric teams was highlighted.
• Long waiting times, delayed appointments and difficulties accessing follow-up support were the most common concerns.
• Staffing pressures were perceived to affect service capacity, responsiveness and continuity of care.
• Communication needs improvement, particularly around referrals, access to services and updates on care.
• Families wanted increased access to face-to-face appointments, especially for children with complex needs.
• Concerns were raised about continence product provision, including suitability, choice, allocation levels and eligibility criteria.
• Respondents emphasised the need for a future service that is well-resourced, child centred and accessible, with strong specialist expertise, clear pathways, early intervention, continuity of care and personalised support.

The difference it’s made

• The Tier 2 Continence Service has been transferred to Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust with full arrangements from 1 July 2026.
• Staff have been transferred from Lincolnshire County Council to Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust to support the delivery of the Continence Service.
• The feedback has been shared with the Performance Review Meeting.
• The feedback has been shared with the Group Leadership Team.

What’s next?

Please continue to check back for more updates.