Bladder and Bowel Forum - link nurses

Tracey Chipps

Neuoro-Rehab Nurse

Tracey is a Neuro-Rehab Nurse with over 30 years’ experience, working closely within a multidisciplinary team. Tracey has spent much of her career working at St Georges Hospital in Tooting. Tracey Has worked as a ward manager and Clinical Nurse specialist and recently working on a secondment for a London Spinal Cord injury network as a specialist Lead for Neurogenic Bladder Bowel and Skin. Tracey has an interest in promoting Continence care and training nurses she has been involved in many change projects for SGH. Tracey is a member of the ACP and the RCN continence forum.

Noreen Russell

Spinal Cord Injury Clinical Lead Bladder, Bowels & Skin for South London

Hosted by St Georges NHS Trust

Noreen qualified as an RN in 1999, her first job was at Atkinson Morley Hospital Neurosurgery. Her career has been based at St George’s Hospital Tooting and she has worked extensively across all neurological areas. Over the last 20 years she has worked in neuro rehabilitation of which 12 years as a nurse specialist. During which time her role has been managing neurogenic bladder and bowels with the aims of preventing complications such as UTI, constipation, incontinence and moisture lesions, and improving patients QoL. Teaching patients ISC, bowel management and anal irrigation. Most recently introducing a neuro/uro virtual ward round.

Noreen has led on projects such as neurogenic bowel policy, training and competencies for staff, catheter policy, falls committee lead, male catheterisation training with a focus on ISC insertion. As well as continence training to nursing and AHP across the trust. Noreen has a special interest in the impact of urinary incontinence on falls.
Noreen’s current role as Clinical Lead for the SCI London Network funded by NHSE is focused on policies and pathways in the acute and community settings and mapping continence services. Noreen recently represented the SCI network on the All Party Parliamentary Group Round Table for Neurogenic Bowel Management with the focus on a national neurogenic bowel policy.

Contact Noreen

Melanie Stratford

Nurse Lecturer

University of West London

Melanie Stratford trained in Hillingdon Hospital and Mount Veron Hospital and qualified in 1993 with a Higher Diploma in Nursing being one of the first project 2000 students. Since qualifying worked as a staff nurse in a rehabilitation and medical ward. In 1997 She started a shortened course in Midwifery and qualified from Thames Valley university in 1999 as a midwife. whilst working as a midwife an interest was developed in part natal care and pelvic floor inquires. Having worked as a midwife and community nurse experience was gained in urology.

In 2016, she became a specialist community continence nurse which involved responsibility for managing the service across 3 CCG’s. Which encompassed carrying out weekly bladder retraining clinics, joint women’s health clinic with a physiotherapist. Trial without catheter clinics, teaching patients to self-catheterise. Providing in house training for associate practitioners, qualified nurses on catheter care and insertion of urethral and supra pubic catheters, bowel care and procedures and continence care. The teaching is also given in catheter, bowel and continence care to carers in nursing and care homes. Involved in updating the training packages national for the service. She currently works as a lecturer in nursing and teaches future nurses and nursing associates about importance of catheter carer and how to insert catheters. She is also dual trained as a midwife and carries out post-natal bladder retaining clinics with a women health physiotherapist.

As a specialist nurse she then went on to complete an MSC in nursing and urological care in 2020 and then went on to work as a nurse lecturer at The University of West London.

Victoria Brown

Clinical Nurse Specialist (RGN)

Bladder, Bowel and Pelvic Health Service (BBPH Team), Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust
Community Team - Waldron Health Centre

My background is in district nursing, where I worked after completing my nurse training with the University of Greenwich. I was part of the first cohort of ‘community route students,’ which was a programme aimed at giving students more experience in specialist community nursing roles prior to qualification. This is a programme I have gone on to advocate for in South-east London/North Kent to attract more nursing students to consider placements and future roles outside of the acute setting. 

A key focus of mine is on improving the catheter service provided across my Trust, and establishing an evidence-based, effective 'trial without catheter' service, delivered within a community setting. I enjoy supporting colleagues in other community teams, primary care settings, nursing/care homes and intermediate care with complex catheter cases for review and treatment planning. My aim is to improve these pathways, and to communicate these improvements widely to support a cohesive effect across other Trusts and community teams.

I am currently involved in working towards an integrated pelvic health service across our community and acute services with both physiotherapists and nurses working collaboratively to provide the best service for our patients. I am trained in anorectal examination, vaginal examinations and the comprehensive assessment of pelvic floor dysfunction, which helps me to create personalised treatment plans for my patient. I am actively working with the rest of the team to reduce the need for containment products by promoting our service and offering comprehensive assessments and treatments.

I am excited to be involved in the RCN bladder and bowel community and hope to support nursing colleagues and the wider community of healthcare professionals in this speciality. I want to help to ensure our specialism is recognised and allowed to develop and evolve with the newest research in our field.

Susan Daly

Senior Coloplast Nurse, Clinical Services

Coloplast Ltd

My name is Susan Daly and I work for Coloplast Ltd within the Bladder and Bowel Division, covering Scotland.As a Senior Coloplast Nurse, I have specialised and developed expertise in working with people with Multiple Sclerosis, with neurogenic bladder or bowel symptoms and I am passionate about supporting these patients.

I have been part of Steering Groups in developing services delivered to this patient cohort in some areas of Scotland, which has the highest incidence of MS globally. I am delighted to be part of the RCN Bladder and Bowel Forum Link Nurse group and look forward to having the opportunity to contribute, learn from others, and share best practice.

Lisa Jones

Specialist Bladder and Bowel Nurse

BABS NHS Fife

My name is Lisa Jones, and I am a Specialist Bladder and Bowel Nurse working as part of BABS (Bladder and Bowel Service) for NHS Fife. Previous to this I have more than ten years' experience in caring for older adults having worked in community care wards across Fife where I developed a special interest in improving care for patients living with Dementia.

In my current role, I am passionate about improving Bladder and Bowel health outcomes for patients living with Dementia.

I am looking forward to being a part of the group and to being involved with the work of the RCN Bladder and Bowel Forum further.

Sabitri Paudyal-Pant

Continence specialist nurse

West Hertfordshire Teaching hospitals NHS Trust

My name is Sabitri Paudyal-Pant. I was born in Nepal and entered the UK as a student in 2007. In Nepal, I completed my master’s in agriculture science and submitted my thesis. In 2009, I completed my master’s in business administration from the University of East London.

Since 2007, I worked in different positions as a housekeeping assistant, a café assistant and as a CSW in a nursing home. In 2009, I entered the NHS, as a CSW and I am in love with my job. I made up my mind to be a qualified nurse, so I can deliver care to my patients at different levels. 

In 2016, I enrolled as a student nurse at the University of Hertfordshire and became a qualified nurse in 2019.

I joined as a qualified nurse in the surgical and gynaecology ward. During my care, I came across many bladder and bowel problems, due to retention and post-op complications. I set my mind to being a bladder and bowel specialist nurse and providing care to suffering patients.

In 2021, I joined as a band five continence nurse at West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospital NHS Trust. I am looking forward to upgrading myself when the opportunity comes.

As continence specialist nurses, we review the catheters on the daily basis.  We get referrals for retention, failed TWOCed, and bladder and bowel management.  I delivered training for OSCE nurses, care certificates, newly qualified nurses, and student nurses.

I attend different meetings and also present our work. I am involved in auditing catheters, and pads in the wards. I want to join as a link continence nurse so I can put my views and take a message from the committee  which will be beneficial for our patients with bladder and bowel problems.

Anita Philips

Advanced Clinical Practitioner (Neurosurgery-spine)

North Bristol NHS trust, Bristol since 2007

Anita Philip currently works as Advanced Clinical Practitioner (Neurosurgery-spine)  at North Bristol NHS trust, Bristol. In 201, As part of MSC Advanced practice I did research comparing pain levels of day case versus in-patients undergoing spine surgery. The abstract was published in British journal of Neurosurgery. Findings were also presented at the prestigious SBNS conference of Neurosurgeons in 2011. 

My role involves working around neurosurgical spine outpatients & inpatients, supporting doctors in inpatient care, medical and nursing teaching, audits, projects and research in spine related aspects and creating protocols that meet standards, regularly re-inventing and adhering to best practice.

I have engaged with and been Instrumental in the execution of several spine related projects- collar care, neurogenic bowel management, Cauda equina pathways.

I represent the department at the Severn Regional Spine Network and completed the Rosalind Franklin from NHS leadership academy in 2022. 

Social: Indian dance and drama. Church and community work, zero plastic waste proponent.

Deborah Rigby

Clinical Director for the COVID Vaccination Service and Clinical lead for the Enhanced Heath in Care Homes

I have extensive experience working in the NHS with a variety of roles, I worked as a Continence Nurse specialist for 20 years in Bath and Bristol. During that time, I won the Nursing Standard Continence Care Nurse of the year award for work in post prostatectomy incontinence. I have written may article and have contributed to Continence care publications. Since 2010 I have worked in NHS Commissioning and opportunity to influence strategic development. In 2018 I worked with NHS England and the RCN in the publication of Excellence in Continence Care.

I am currently working for a local Primary Care Network as Clinical Director for the Vaccination Service ,the PCN are also employing me one day a week to support the Enhanced Heath in Care Homes (EHCH) framework, an element of the EHCH is continence care and an opportunity to support good practice. 

I have been described as a straight talker with passion and energy, I am supportive and enabling, with key strengths in patient safety and quality improvement to deliver outcomes for the benefit of local communities, particularly vulnerable people. I am now approaching retirement and would like to rekindle my passion for continence care through supporting an expert reference group using both my clinical and strategic skills.

Nosheen Chaouad

Senior Urology/Continence Clinical Nurse Specialist Paediatrics 

St George's hospital London 

I completed my training with St George's in 2001. My career has taken me across both acute and community settings, adults and children, including District nursing and school nursing which is where i gained my passion for Continence. I supported and managed patients with catheters and Continence needs in their homes and supporting families with children's toileting and Continence needs. At this time I also started running nurse led enuresis clinics in the community. This then led to me coming back to St George's to take up my current role. 

My current role covers both acute and community supporting families to manage children's Continence needs. We are a tertiary referral centre so receive referrals from all over the country. Our caseload includes patients with day and night incontinence, constipation, diagnoses such as spina bifida, neuropathic bladders and bowel, bladder and bowel dysfunction, other complex diagnoses which affect bladder and bowel function such a PUVs, Anorectal Malformation, Hirschprungs disease to mention a few. This involves teaching and supporting families with ISC and other means of bladder drainage such a vesicostomy, mitrofannof, and bowel management using ACEs and transanal irrigation. 

We see patients in some cases from ante natal diagnosis until adults and so we have privilege to develop professional and strong relationships with the children and families over the years. We undertake nurse led non-invasive and invasive urodynamics sessions to aid diagnosis and treatment and we are also the first centre to undertake pelvic floor 4d scanning to teach pelvic floor exercises to promote continence. We are looking to expand the service further to include pelvic floor rehabilitation in children as a standard treatment.

Sadly there is a stigma associated with childhood continence and we recognise the huge impact this can have on children and young people's confidence and self-esteem as they grow up and the impact on wider family life. Therefore we are very keen and excited to be part of this group to share best practice, contribute and support colleagues to promote continence for children.

Emma Cumberland

MSc AHCP; RN Child

Community Nurse (School Nursing – Locality 5 Bodmin

Cornwall Council |Best Start, Community Health and Wellbeing; Bodmin 

I am a community nurse based within the school nursing service in Cornwall. I trained at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital (1996 -1999) and for the past 24 years have worked in acute paediatrics and started my role with the School Nursing Team in July 2022. 

I also hold a Masters qualification in Advanced Health Care Practice and work as a Paediatric ANP on our local out-of-hours team, returning calls from the 111 service, at weekends. 

As a community nurse we receive referrals from schools, parents and GPs relating to continence issues and undertake assessment, create care-plans for achievement of continence and also work closely with our bladder and bowel service, for onward referrals. 

I am looking forward to sharing my knowledge and experience with other members of the nursing community and supporting practice development. 

Ashleigh Foley

Children’s continence nurse, Specialist children’s nursing

Kettering; Northants

My name is Ashleigh Foley. I am a band 6 nurse within the Children's Continence team for NHFT. I have worked within this team for 3 years supporting patients and families with Continence issues ranging from soiling, constipation, disimpaction, urinary incontinence and behavioural support.

The part I love the most about this job is how life changing our support can be for patients and families.

Linda Gale

Senior Clinical Nurse Specialist in bladder and bowel dysfunction

Paediatric Urology / Continence Team, St George’s Hospital, London

I am a registered children’s. My career in nursing started in 1998 and at that time I worked on an inpatient CAMHS unit. Over the years I have worked across various settings, including in the community as a school nurse, but across all settings there has been a common theme with continence. 

In 2008, I began working at St George’s as the enuresis nurse responsible for nurse led clinics in the community and having now progressed to the role of senior nurse along with my colleague, we offer a huge range of services and work in both the acute sector and the community to support patients and their families with diagnoses such as enuresis, dysfunctional voiding,  constipation, Anorectal malformation and Spina Bifida among many others. 

I am also qualified to run nurse led urodynamic sessions and we are keen as a service hopefully to also develop this further with pelvic floor and biofeedback studies. We support patients who require inventions such as clean intermittent catheterisation, trans anal irrigation, and ACE stomas to manage their continence. We also work across both sectors to offer and support training for our allied professionals in the community.

Being based in a regional centre we are working with patients over a huge geographical area and so one of the things I am most keen to ensure is that all of our patient’s receive care to the highest standard wherever they are. So with that in mind I am really excited to be involved in this group in order that we can share best practice to ensure the importance of our speciality is recognised as well as helping it to continue to develop. 

Natasha Galbraith Brennan

Nurse Practitioner

Whittington Health NHS Trust- Paediatric Primary Care Team 

Since qualifying from Kings Collage London as a Paediatric Nurse my career has focused on Public Health, I completed an MSc in Specialist Community Public Health with a research dissertation looking into improving Sexual Health outcomes and better access to services for young people. 

I went on to become a qualified Health Visitor working in a range of London boroughs supporting children and families in all areas of child development and safeguarding. Keen to progress further in the clinical aspect of Child Health, I moved into the Children’s Community Nursing Team under Paediatric Primary Care as the service lead, I completed the History Taking, Clinical Assessment and Nurse Prescribing module, all at Level 7.

Within my current role I provide specialist assessment skills to support patients with chronic long-term conditions, these include Viral Induced Wheeze, Asthma, Eczema, Constipation and Nocturnal Enuresis. I am also in the process of consolidating and registering my specialist qualifications to become an Advance Nurse Practitioner ANP with the RCN/NMC.

Child health and development has and remains to be a passion of mine, I feel that with appropriate management and support chronic conditions can be managed effectively so that patients and their families can continue to develop and flourish.

In my spare time I enjoy long walks with my two French Bulldogs, gardening, and alfresco dinning.

Lucy Grubb

Paediatric bladder and bowel nurse specialist

Aneurin Bevan UHB, Bladder and Bowel Nursing Service

My name is Lucy and I have only started my role as a paediatric bladder and bowel nurse specialist in September 2022, so still lots to learn and keen to expand my knowledge. My background is in paediatric surgery.

Davina Richardson

Specialist Children’s Nurse 

Bladder and Bowel UK 

Prior to becoming a children’s bladder and bowel nurse I worked on acute paediatric wards and then with children with life limiting conditions and complex health needs. 

Seventeen years ago, I set up and ran a new community-based NHS service for children with mostly functional bladder and bowel issues including constipation, soiling, day and night-time wetting, delayed toilet training and provision of products to children not able to toilet train. 

I have been part of the team at Bladder and Bowel UK for seven years, and this overlapped with NHS practice for two years. At Bladder and Bowel UK I provide general advice and support to families, young people and professionals from a range of disciplines including specialist bladder and bowel services, on the helpline. There has been involvement in research, including National Institute for Health Research funded studies. I have worked with companies on specific projects and developments to improve continence care to children and young people and have been involved in campaigns to promote World Bedwetting Week.

I represent Bladder and Bowel UK on the All Party Parliamentary Group for bladder and bowel care, I am part of the working group for the children’s workstream of the National Bladder and Bowel Health project, I am on the Bowel Interest Group (BIG), am co-chair of the Paediatric Continence Forum and am paediatric advisor to the Association for Continence Advice.

As part of my role, I provide bespoke training on bladder and bowel health to level one and level two services, help to arrange national symposia and conferences, have spoken nationally for third party organisations and provided sessions for parent groups. I have had articles published in peer reviewed journals for professionals. I have been involved in and lead on development of national guidance documents and supported areas wanting to develop new services for paediatric bladder and bowel care or develop existing services. 

I remain enthusiastic about breaking the taboo of bladder and bowel issues and working in diverse ways to ensure that children and young people are offered optimum support to reach their potential.  

Samantha Tapscott-Roberts

RSCN BsCN Masters Qualification in Paediatric Bladder & Bowel Care

Qualified Coach and Mental Health First Aider 

Specialist Children’s Nurse; CCICP Bladder & Bowel Service 

During my career I have worked with children in both the hospital and community setting. I have looked after children with acute medical and surgical needs; complex needs; disabilities and life limiting health issues. I have covered large and complex geographies as a community nurse and have worked over much of the UK as well as abroad in Guernsey. 

I have settled back home and for the last nine years have been working for CCICP Paediatric Bladder and Bowel service. I am also a Coach and Mental Health Champion. My role includes providing advice and support to children, young people and their families affected by bladder and bowel conditions, training and networking with peers and wider members of the MDT. I have also recently become involved with Bladder & Bowel UK and chair the Northwest Paediatric Continence Forum 

I am passionate about providing holistic patient family cantered care and driving forward best practice for the children and young people I care for. I am always looking for ways to improve the standards of self-care for nurses and professionals working in the NHS as this is key to the care patients receive. I sit on national groups to support the development and innovations in patient care.