§ Mrs. CaltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether his Department has completed an audit of whether the guidance "Good Practice in Continence Services" has improved paediatric continence services; [132876]
(2) what assessment his Department has made of how the children's national service framework will improve services for children with continence problems; [132885]
(3) what assessment his Department has made of how many children in England suffer from (a) nocturnal enuresis, (b) daytime wetting and (c) constipation and soiling. [132887]
§ Dr. LadymanGood Practice in Continence Services was issued by the Department in April 2000 and provides guidance to primary care trusts (PCTs) on continence services. This includes that PCTs should have specialist continence services in place, which provide patients with an individual assessment of their needs. Provision of these services in England is a matter for PCTs, which are responsible for determining the level of services required to meet the needs of their local populations.
The children's national service framework (NSF) will set out standards covering a broad range of services, including the management of common childhood conditions. Whilst few specific conditions will be covered, the standards are likely to cover what support should be available to children and their parents in managing a wide range of conditions and problems, including enuresis and soiling. The NSF will emphasise the promotion of evidence-based clinical guidelines and a number of examples of good practice in a range of different areas.
Information on the prevalence of these common conditions in childhood is not collected centrally.