Bladder and Bowel Confidence (BABCON)
The Bladder and Bowel CONfidence Health Integration Team (BABCON HIT) aims to promote bladder and bowel continence for all in Bristol and the surrounding area.
Leakage from the bladder and bowel that cannot be controlled by individuals of all ages is more widespread than is often recognised.
- In the UK, over 14 million people experience bladder control problems and 6.5 million have bowel control difficulties.
- There are more than 900,000 children with continence conditions at any time.
These are the figures that we know about but there are likely to be many more people with symptoms who do not admit it as we do not tend to talk about it. Often people live with bladder and bowel control issues as they believe nothing can be done to improve their symptoms. However, advice and education can help people to improve their symptoms, cure them or learn to live as well as they can.
BABCON plan to achieve its aims through:
- enabling people to improve their symptoms through self-help,
- improving continence services including social care, community services, and inpatient hospital care,
- promoting continence education for the public and healthcare staff,
- undertaking high quality research and innovation to drive change,
- exploring the impact of environmental factors on people with bladder and bowel symptoms,
- challenging beliefs about incontinence.
Latest news and events
Bladder and bowel support app wins Nursing Times Award 2021
28 October 2021
An app developed by Bristol Health Partners’ Bladder and Bowel Confidence Health Integration Team (BABCON HIT), which signposts people to find help with continence issues, has won a 2021 Nursing Times Award. The CONfidence app won in the Continence P...
Bristol Health Partners works with hospital charities on new programme of support to benefit thousands in the community
23 September 2021
Bristol Health Partners Academic Health Science Centre (AHSC) has joined forces with Bristol’s hospital charities on an innovative programme of support to benefit thousands in the community. Above & Beyond, Southmead Hospital Charity and...
CONfidence app shortlisted for 2021 Nursing Times Award
23 July 2021
A new app developed by Bristol Health Partners’ Bladder and Bowel Confidence Health Integration Team (BABCON HIT), which signposts people to find help with continence issues, has been shortlisted for a 2021 Nursing Times Award. The free CONfidence app...
Highlights from the BABCON HIT 2020-21
20 July 2021
Leadership team Dr Nikki Cotterill, Professor Marcus Drake, Kathryn McCarthy and Professor Paul Abrams look back on what BABCON HIT achieved in 2020-21. Due to the pandemic, all services migrated to digital provision in Spring 2020 and a significant le...
New app launched to support the one in five UK adults experiencing continence issues
21 June 2021
A new app to support people with continence issues has been launched today by Bristol Health Partners' Bladder and Bowel Confidence Health Integration Team (BABCON), UWE Bristol and associated health partners, at the beginning of World Continence Week (21...
Two BABCON HIT projects included in CNO England’s COVID-19 Nursing Research Portfolio summary
11 May 2021
Two studies led by our Bladder and Bowel Confidence Health Integration Team (BABCON HIT) feature in the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) England’s new Nursing Research Portfolio summary – the only inclusions from the Bristol, North Somerset and South Glouc...
New BABCON HIT project aims to improve continence care services affected by COVID-19
12 April 2021
A new project looking at the impact of changes to the services that provide care to people with bladder and bowel (continence) problems has been launched by the Bristol Health Partners BABCON Health Integration Team in collaboration with the National Inst...
New pelvic floor training video from BABCON HIT helps women with incontinence
8 March 2021
The Bladder and Bowel CONfidence Health Integration Team (BABCON HIT) worked together with Pelvic Health Physiotherapist Jen Pinkstone from the department of Urogynaecology & Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery at North Bristol NHS Trust, and Motion Graphics...
HIT Conference goes virtual to address the impact of COVID-19 and wider health inequalities
20 October 2020
Bristol Health Partners held its annual Health Integration Team (HIT) Conference as an entirely virtual event this year because of the pandemic. The event, “COVID-19 Call to Action: What else can we achieve in health and social care?”, took place b...
2019-20 highlights from the Bladder and Bowel Confidence (BABCON) HIT
1 May 2020
Directors Associate Professor Nikki Cotterill, Professor Marcus Drake and Consultant Colorectal Surgeon Kathryn McCarthy look back on what the newly formed HIT achieved in 2019-20.The Bladder and Bowel Confidence (BABCON) HIT was formed in 2019 with a foc...
Introducing our two newest HITS: ACE and BABCON
3 February 2020
From adverse childhood experiences to bladder and bowel confidence, our latest HITs will be tackling a range of challenges.
