Continuing embarrassment and lack of public discussion about incontinence, a condition which affects one in three people at some point in their life, are stifling the development of new products, according to a new report by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

The report, Incontinence: engineering innovation to enhance quality of life, adds that Government has largely overlooked this issue, even though incontinence burdens the NHS with annual healthcare costs of over £2 billion per year and is a major cause of admissions to care homes, adding pressure on already stretched public services.

The private cost of incontinence is estimated to be over £750 million a year, with some families spending up to £100 a week on products which are not available through health services. Currently Government imposes VAT on incontinence products, at a cost of £150 million to the public. This additional financial cost is preventing people from accessing the best products available. 

Dr Helen Meese, Head of Healthcare at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said:

“Too many people consider incontinence to be an issue solely confined to the elderly. Although recent openness regarding incontinence in women following childbirth is an encouraging social step forward, other groups, including over 900,000 children with bladder and/or bowel dysfunction, suffer in silence.

“Unlike diseases such as cancer, diabetes or HIV, incontinence is not normally a life-threatening disorder. As a result, limited research funding has been allocated to this issue over the last 30 years, although its physical and psychological impact can often have a profound effect on people’s quality of life and self-confidence.” 

Incontinence has a significant hidden impact on the UK economy, in terms of both the costs due to lost productivity, and direct healthcare spend (about 2% of the NHS budget) and associated long-term care costs. However, this figure does not reflect the costs of ill health, depression and social isolation that often arise from bladder and bowel incontinence.

The report makes a number of recommendations aimed at the development of incontinence technologies, reducing costs of the condition to the NHS and encouraging greater social openness and acceptability surrounding the issue:

1. Government to remove VAT from incontinence products to make their use, and hence their benefits, more widespread.
2. Department of Health to develop a public awareness programme to destigmatise all aspects of incontinence.
3. The NHS to establish a cost-benefit procurement framework to recognise overall savings from increased use of incontinence devices.
4. The NHS to create a Continence Technology lead within every general hospital and Primary Care Trust, to help increase the opportunity for identification and evaluation of new incontinence technology.

The report is being launched as part of the Institution’s incontinence campaign, bringing engineers and medical clinicians together to discuss possible new innovative technologies. 'Incontinence: The Engineering Challenge XI'  conference is being held at the Institution’s London headquarters, One Birdcage Walk, Westminster,  on 28-29 November.

Read the full report: www.imeche.org/reports

Notes to Editors

• For interview requests or to attend the conference, contact the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Press Office on +44 (0)20 7304 6877 or email media@imeche.org
• The Institution of Mechanical Engineers was established in 1847 and has some of the world’s greatest engineers in its history books. It is one of the fastest growing professional engineering institutions. Headquartered in London, it has operations around the world and over 117,000 members in more than 140 countries working at the heart of the most important and dynamic industries, such as the automotive, rail, aerospace, medical, power and construction sectors.