Impact Review 2024-25: BABCON HIT

Redesigning local incontinence care pathway

It is important to understand how patients with bladder and bowel problems move through the local system in order to deliver more effective treatment and support. Thanks to funding from Southmead Hospital Charity, a long-term piece of work has begun to map the bladder and bowel pathway. Interviews with GPs, public health professional and patients have highlighted many areas for improvement, including making better connections and communication between different parts of the pathway, and increasing knowledge of how the different parts fit together.

Funding has been renewed for another year, in which the HIT aims to identify and address duplication and efficiency savings, and advocate for longer term pathway redesign.

Expanding incontinence outreach with under-served communities

Previously, the HIT worked with Sirona Health Links to deliver an innovative awareness campaign for Somali women aimed affected by bladder and bowel issues. The HIT is exploring how this collaboration can be expanded and is seeking funding opportunities to explore barriers to the pathway for Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Somali men in Inner City Bristol.

The initial project raised the issue of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and its effects on incontinence. To explore this further, the HIT secured a UWE-funded internship which showed that existing research into FGM largely overlooks incontinence and that women’s voices have not been heard. The literature review is being submitted for publication and UWE Bristol has been secured to conduct qualitative interviews among women with FGM.

Sharing Social Care Incontinence toolkit

The Social Care Incontinence toolkit developed by the HIT is now available and being used. Identifying a mechanism for circulation to all relevant social care colleagues is underway, in discussion with Bristol City Council’s adult social care team.