"Great support and care"

I just wanted to thank Sandra, John-Paul and the rest of the Bladder and Bowel Care team at Herts Community NHS Trust, for their support with my continence difficulties over the last few years.

They have really made a difference to my quality of life, and always treated me with great dignity and kindness. It is not an easy issue to deal with, but they have always been very approachable and put me at ease. They have also often gone 'above and beyond' in trying to provide solutions and support for my ongoing difficulties. And always answer any questions I have, and the team as a whole, from the office through to the specialist nurses, have always been extremely helpful.

This is a really important NHS service that is often overlooked, and whilst I've also had excellent care from urologists in London, in terms of practical help and support, the Bladder and Bowel Care team have made a real difference to my life and enabled me to cope with my difficulties and lead a relatively normal life. Something which I doubt I would have been able to do, without their advice and support. Living with incontinence is not easy, and it does affect your sense of self, but knowing that I am able to access help from a great team of professionals has been a real lifesaver. It is not an easy subject to talk about, and I still get embarrassed, but the team are always very understanding. And with their support, and use of kind humour, have been able to make potentially difficult appointments much easier to cope with.

The NHS is good at measuring data and outcomes in healthcare, but sometimes forgets about the 'care' side of things. But with issues like incontinence, this is just as important as the outcomes. And I've always felt that everyone at the Bladder and Bowel Care team in Herts, really do 'care' and put their patients first. Due to a number of ongoing health problems I make regular use of a number of NHS services, and I can speak from experience when I say that whilst my treatment has usually been very good, I sometimes feel rushed and treated more like a number than an individual. And whilst the Herts team are under the same pressures in terms of waiting times, funding, and an ever-growing number of patients, as other services, they are still able to treat people with dignity and as an individual. And as I said earlier, this means a great deal, particularly when you are dealing with potentially embarrassing conditions like incontinence. I am also lucky that I have the support of a very good GP. And having worked for the NHS, and also been a lifelong user of many of its services, its value as an institution is incalculable. And of course, key to that are its staff, so in summary I just wanted to thank everyone at Herts Bladder and Bowel Care, and also encourage anyone else with similar difficulties to seek help. Like many people, there have been times when I have tried to manage the condition on my own, and only sought help when things deteriorated, which was partly due to embarrassment. And although asking for help is not easy, I wish I had done it much earlier with my recent difficulties. And whilst you may not find an instant cure, there are lots of things that can make a difference. And certainly for me, finding out about better ways of managing my continence problems has really made a difference. As they say, knowledge is power, and the Herts team have been brilliant at giving me advice and support in this regard. And all done with great understanding. Many thanks.