Association for Continence Advice

A year ago we reported on a variety of changes that had been set in motion to provide improved services; one year on we are pleased to report again on progress being made to meet these objectives.

In September 1998, the then junior Health Minister , Paul Boateng, announced a far reaching review of continence services throughout England and Wales, ready for implementation during 1999. The Review was lead by the National Health Service Executive and organised with a small working group and a wider review group. ACA was represented on both groups and ACA members were widely consulted on the future shape of continence services. The Review is expected to be published in Autumn 1999.

Equally during the year the UKCC continued its work on the "Higher Level of Practice" to which the ACA contributed, with ideas and recommendations of the members, to ensure that the outcomes from the UKCC were fair and achievable by the majority of nurse specialists.

The National Study Day Programme continues sponsored by Pharmacia and Upjohn and supported by Seton Scholl. Due to their generous sponsorship we were able to provide smaller study days which were more interactive between all participants and allowed real examination of the issues. A joint initiative between the RCN and the ACA was a study day on Marketing Strategies, looking at the skills needed to market continence services to the new Primary Care Groups. In contrast, the Showcase events targeting the private sector in particular, attracted a larger number of participants.

The most significant education event of the year is the Annual Conference, held this year in Bournemouth. Record numbers were again broken, with the highest number of delegates, for a national conference. The theme was "Back to the Future" with speakers addressing issues from the past and the lessons to be learnt, through to the future and the way ahead for continence care. The social programme, held at the Pavilion Ballroom was a riot of balloons and fun, again underscoring the old adage that ACA members ëwork hard and play hardí.

The Millennium Conference will be held in Harrogate 15^th - 18^th of May 2000. It will be an International Conference on the theme of "Continence - A Global Partnership", concentrating on some of the global issues that impact on us all. We are particularly looking forward to welcoming delegates from some of the developing countries to share ideas and network. For more information contact Davies Cahill Associates Tel no. + 44 (0) 1275 340331

The 2nd Christmas reception and lecture was held at the prestigious Royal Society of Arts and sponsored by Schering-Plough. The main speaker was Dr Hilary Jones, the well know TV doctor, who discussed the problems GPís have in working with incontinent patients. This was followed by a presentation on a new and innovative teaching pack, developed jointly by ACA and Schering Plough.

Membership continues to grow with over 900 members. We have also recently had interest from colleagues in Europe in setting up affiliated organisations. This is leading us to consider holding a European Congress on Continence.

At the end of the year many tasks remain to be done as continence services move hopefully into a new era. However the ACA will continue to strive to provide that vital professional support as we all meet the new challenges presented to us.

Veronica Haggar
Professional Development Officer