INCONTINENCE specialists at East Lancashire Hospitals have reminded people not to suffer in silence.

One in five adults suffer from incontinence, and this week a Royal College of Physicians audit of services claimed millions of people in the UK with bladder and bowel problems face a ‘life sentence’ of suffering because of poor care.

However, the hospitals trust is adamant that is not the case in East Lancashire, where a dedicated team assesses bladder problems.

The team includes consultant gynaecologists and urologists, specialist physiotherapists, specialist gynaecology and urology nurses, a specialist midwife and community continence nurse advisers.

Simon Hill, consultant urogynaecologist, said their work was vital to restoring people’s self-esteem.

He said: “I am really proud of the service.

“Incontinence isn’t a sexy subject, because you can’t die from incontinence. But you can die from embarrassment.

“It can affect people’s lives in every way, from their work life, to their home life, to their sex life.”

Mary Hill is an advanced physiotherapist in women’s health and continence with 30 years’ experience.

She said a lot of women were referred to her and fellow physiotherapist Sally Broadhurst from the hospital’s perineal clinic, led by specialist midwife Annette Dugdale.

It looks after new mothers who have experienced difficulties during pregnancy, such as tears, leading to pelvic floor muscle dysfunction.

Patients are taught pelvic floor muscle-strengthening exercises that can be carried out independently.

They are then reassessed as often as needed.

Mary said: “Continence problems are very distressing, but the majority of the time they can be improved and sometimes cured.

“With the right attention you can improve someone's quality of life."