Care Home Continence Patient Referral Form
Care Home Continence Patient Referral Form
Only care home patients who require a continence assessment can be referred on the care home form. All other patients need a catheter form completing.
Care Home Assessment: A continence assessment referral form for care homes (residential homes and nursing homes) to inform specialist nurses about the patient's need for continence products (bladder and bowel).
Please fill in the below documents before completing the referral form:
Catheter Discharge Referral Form
Catheter Discharge Referral Form
Care home patients who require a continence assessment can be referred on the Care Home Continence Patient Referral Form.
PROFESSIONALS ONLY: Please complete the Catheter Discharge referral form - be aware this form MUST be completed by the professional who inserted the catheter
Catheter discharge referral form
All patient referrals, including GP referrals, telephone calls, emails, letters and self-referrals must be directed to SPOA (Single Point of Access) northamptonshire.spoa@nhft.nhs.uk, telephone number 0300 777 0002.
Your Continence Assessment - what to expect
Your Continence Assessment - what to expect
Your assessment - what to expect
Throughout your assessment you will be asked a number of questions. Not all of these questions may seem relevant to your issues, but they help the nurse build a better picture of your concerns and current situation. These questions will include information about your social circumstances and how often you are affected by your continence. This will also help the nurse identify if you are displaying any symptoms which may need investigating by another professional (for example your GP or a urologist). Your nurse will always discuss these referrals with you first. Following your initial assessment, you may need to come and see one of our nurses in our face-to-face clinics for a more detailed assessment, including a check of your pelvic floor. We offer a number of clinics around the county and your nurse will discuss with you which is the most appropriate clinic for you.
Your initial assessment
Your initial continence assessment will be conducted over the telephone by one of our specialist nurses. Please note this assessment can take 45 to 60 minutes to complete and you will need to be somewhere private in order for our nurse to complete this. If you need someone else to complete the assessment on your behalf they will need to be with you for this.
Can't have the assessment over the phone?
If you struggle to hear over the phone and need your initial assessment to be face to face, please call the office for this to be arranged.
What happens while you wait for your assessment?
Continence products
You will be expected to purchase your own continence products while you wait for your initial assessment. A range of products are available to buy from supermarkets, pharmacies and online.
Will I receive products on the NHS?
Just because you have a continence assessment completed does not necessarily mean you will be provided with products on the NHS. Our products are provided in line with national guidance and based on individual need. You will be supplied with any products which are clinically suitable for you and this will be explained to you further by your nurse throughout your assessment and any follow-up appointments.
Why baseline?
You will have been sent baseline charts for you to complete before your assessment. Please try to complete these to the best of your ability as they will help your nurse understand your issues in more detail.
Why do I need an assessment?
Continence issues are usually curable once the underlying cause has been found. Contrary to popular opinion, incontinence is not a side-effect of getting old and can affect people of all ages. An assessment can help improve your symptoms.
What treatment can I expect?
Your nurse will work with you to create a plan for your care. Our main focus is to consider treatment options which should help improve or cure your continence issues. This may be through pelvic floor exercises, bladder retraining or considering different food and fluid intakes. Patterns for what may be causing your continence issues can sometimes be identified from your baseline charts, which is why it is so important you complete these and send them back to us.