Integrated Care Board funded continence pads and containment products - Find a freedom of information request

The purpose of the request

I seek the information detailed below in order to better understand the process by which disabled children and disabled young people living in your Council's area are able to obtain the Integrated Care Board funded continence pads and containment products that they need.

1. Please provide the details specified in (a) - (c) below concerning the provision of continence pads and containment products (including nappies and 'pull ups') for disabled children and disabled young people within your Board's area.

2. The eligibility criteria that determine what type and what quantity of continence pads and containment products can be provided for disabled children and disabled young people.

3. Please provide a copy (in printed or electronic form) of the guidance that your Council requires practitioners to have regard to when authorising the provision of continence pads and containment products for disabled children and disabled young people; and

4. The work title (or post or qualifications or other designation) that identifies the practitioners who can authorise the provision of continence pads and containment products for disabled children and disabled young people

I can confirm that the information requested is held by Lincolnshire County Council. I have detailed below the information that is being released to you.

1. The guidance we follow is the national consensus document written by the Bladder and Bowel UK by their specialist nurses https://www.bbuk.org.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2021/06/Guidance-for-the-provision-of-continence-containment-productsto-children-2021.pdf (link also below).

There is also this new guidance out (Oct 23) which is jointly authored by Bladder and Bowel UK and Down Syndrome UK Reformatting Best Practice Toilet Training 2023 - 17 Oct (bbuk.org.uk)

This particular document outlines the best practice which should be used when supporting children and young people to develop the skills required to toilet train.

All children have to undergo an initial assessment and those who are assessed as meeting the eligibility for products also then get an annual review. If a child is assessed as having the skills to toilet train they will not be provided with products as this can delay acquisition of the skills required. Lincolnshire also have a commissioned specialist community continence service who has nurses trained to a specialist level. Children are referred to this service should they need support with constipation, day time wetting due to a medical condition and night time wetting where medication may be indicated.

2. Please see the attached criteria guidance which we follow. This is the same as for question 3 National Clinical Guideline Template (bbuk.org.uk)

3. Guideline Template (bbuk.org.uk). as above

4. The staff who can authorised the provision are registered nurses who have received training, no unregistered staff are permitted to do this. So they receive in house training from the Lead Nurse for the Specialist Continence service as part of their contract, this is provided for all new starters and then refreshed every 2 years. The contracted company who provide the products (currently Essity/Tena) provide the registered nurses training on the products themselves, this is done for all new starters and as required after for refresher.

Should you require the attachments mentioned above please contact customerinformationservice@lincolnshire.gov.uk with the below reference number and these can be provided.