Survey of Continence Care Health Professionals and Personal Care Workers

Overview

The Department of Health and Aged Care (the Department) has engaged Healthcare Management Advisors (HMA) in collaboration with the National Ageing Research Institute (NARI) to ‘research incontinence in Australia and conduct an independent evaluation of Government funded continence initiatives.’

The Continence Policy and Research Project aims to help the Government set the policy direction for incontinence in Australia. It will provide valuable data on the cost, demographics, and impacts of incontinence in Australia and undertakes an independent evaluation of current Government-funded continence programs and services.

More information can be found in the Information Bulletin at the bottom of the page.

National Continence Program

The Continence Foundation of Australia (the Foundation) is the national peak body responsible for promoting bladder and bowel control health. The Foundation receives funding from the Australian Government to deliver these activities through the National Continence Program. As a part of this survey, you will be asked about services you may have received through the National Continence Program.

The Foundation offers a range of Australia-wide supports and services, and run awareness-raising campaigns including:

• The National Continence Helpline offers confidential advice, support, and information for continence concerns.
• BINS4BLOKES advocates for incontinence bins in men's public restrooms.
• National Public Toilet Map is an online resource that helps individuals find public and accessible toilets
• Continence Service Directory connects people with continence services and professionals.
• The Great Dunny Hunt encourages the general public to help locate and review public toilets to be included on the National Public Toilet Map, promoting better access to facilities.
• World Continence Week, coordinating an annual event to promote continence awareness across Australia.
• Information and Resources on the Foundation website explain incontinence and measures to improve continence health.
• Educational programs for health professionals and carers increase educational opportunities, knowledge of bladder and bowel control health and incontinence management

Why your views matter

This survey is an important step in the project, designed to gain feedback from professionals who provide continence care. Your feedback is highly valuable, and plays a crucial role in understanding your experience accessing workforce education and other activities and services delivered by the Continence Foundation of Australia (the Foundation) under the National Continence Program. Here’s why:

• Enhancing Workforce Education: Improve continence care education by sharing your experiences with the Foundation’s programs.

• Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses: Your perspective matters in evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the National Continence Program. Your feedback will help to identify areas for improvement.

• Diverse Representation: By gathering demographic details like your profession and geographic location, we can ensure that the survey results represent a diverse range of health professionals. This helps us make informed decisions that benefit a wide variety of professionals.

Your participation is incredibly valuable, and we appreciate your time and honesty.

The survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete.Your participation is voluntary, and you may chose to exit at any point while completing the survey. All of your responses will be kept strictly anonymous and confidential.