Carol hosted an event at the Watershed which focused on the relationship between mental health problems and incontinence in children and young people. The event showcased the findings from Carol’s three-year MRC-funded project.  There were also presentations from clinicians and charities who support children and young people with incontinence and their families.

A wide range of health professionals attended including children’s bladder and bowel specialist nurses,  paediatricians, urologists, nephrologists, specialist nursery nurses, play specialists, health visitors, pelvic health physiotherapists, and psychologists. People with lived experience of incontinence also attended.  The health professionals reported that the mental health of many of their patients is impacted by their bladder and bowel conditions, but they find it difficult to get help.  They were looking for knowledge of how to support their patients' mental health and to learn about how mental health problems might also contribute to continence issues.  The event led to increased recognition of the gaps in psychological services for children and young people with incontinence and follow-up meetings to discuss how to address these gaps from a commissioning perspective.