Overview
This quality standard covers managing urinary incontinence in women (aged 18 and over). It covers assessment, care and treatment options. It describes high-quality care in priority areas for improvement.
It does not cover urinary incontinence in women with neurological disease.
In December 2021, changes were made to align this quality standard with the new NICE guideline on pelvic floor dysfunction. The wording of statement 4 has been amended to reflect the new recommendations on pelvic floor muscle training. The guideline has been added as source guidance for statements 1, 2, 4 and 5, and definitions, measures and references have been updated to reflect the new guideline recommendations.
How to use NICE quality standards and how we develop them
Quality standards help you improve the quality of care you provide or commission. They apply in England and Wales (see the UK government website and Welsh government website). Decisions on how they apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland are made by ministers in the Scottish government and Northern Ireland Executive.
Find out how to use quality standards and how we develop them.
Endorsing bodies
This quality standard is endorsed by NHS England as required by the Health and Social Care Act (2012).
Supporting organisations
A number of organisations recognise the benefit of this quality standard in improving care. They work with us to promote it to commissioners and service providers:
- Bladder and Bowel Community
- British Society of Urogynaecology
- Pelvic Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapy
- Primary Care Women's Health Forum
- Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP)
- Royal College of Nursing (RCN)
- Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
- United Kingdom Continence Society