CONfidence App (UK)
Bladder and bowel leakage affects millions of people across the UK – yet it remains one of the most hidden, least discussed health challenges facing the system.
CONfidence gives Integrated Care Systems (ICSs), place-based partnerships, and continence services one trusted, discreet resource to put in people's hands: free, private, and available whenever they need it.
Available free on the Apple App Store and Google Play. No account required to download or use the app.
The condition people carry in silence.
For many people living with bladder or bowel leakage, the condition shapes everything – which seats they choose, which events they attend, which conversations they avoid. It affects confidence, dignity, and quality of life in ways that rarely make it into a clinical consultation.
Because most people never raise it. Stigma, embarrassment, and the assumption that it's just something to put up with mean that millions of people manage alone – unsure what's normal, uncertain what they can do, and reluctant to ask.
In the UK:
- 14 million people live with bladder control problems
- 6.5 million people experience bowel control difficulties
- Nearly 900,000 children are affected at any one time
This is one of the most common long-term health challenges facing the system – and one of the least visible.
Discreet, trusted support – in people's pockets.
CONfidence gives people one private, reliable place to turn – developed by Professor Nikki Cotterill (UWE Bristol) and Dr Knut Schroeder (Expert Self Care), and co-produced with people living with bladder and bowel leakage, continence specialists, and specialist charities including Bladder & Bowel UK, ERIC, the Florence Nightingale Foundation, and Bristol Urological Institute.
Inside the app, people can:
- Understand what's happening to them – with clear, non-judgemental explanations of bladder and bowel conditions
- Manage symptoms safely and confidently – with practical self-care guidance they can act on straight away
- Build confidence in daily life – reducing anxiety around activities, travel, and social situations
- Find trusted support – signposted to NHS services, continence specialists, and charities
- Know when to seek help – and feel more able to do so
Everything is written in plain English, designed to be easy to return to – especially during difficult or embarrassing moments.
CONfidence is not a replacement for clinical care. It sits alongside your existing services – reinforcing your messages, supporting self-management, and reaching people at moments your teams can't.
Free for users and organisations. No contracts, no set-up, no personal data collection.
Built to the standards you'd expect.
CONfidence has been independently assessed and meets recognised quality and safety standards, including:
- PIF TICK certified
- Winner, Nursing Times Award for Continence Care
- ORCHA certified
"Very helpful and relevant — delivered in a way that isn't at all judgemental."
– App user"This gives people the tools to manage their own symptoms."
– App user
For more details on how we develop and quality-assure our content, visit our Quality Assurance and Editorial pages – both open in a new tab.
The difference it makes for your system.
For ICSs and commissioners, CONfidence supports priorities that matter:
- Prevention and earlier intervention – reaching people before symptoms escalate
- Equitable access – available to anyone with a smartphone, regardless of geography or waiting times
- Reduced avoidable demand – one trusted resource replacing scattered, inconsistent information
- Better use of existing capacity – complementing continence pathways without adding operational burden
It offers a low-risk, scalable way to improve access, consistency, and equity of continence support across your population – without commissioning a new digital product.
Make it feel local.
You can localise CONfidence to reflect your area, service, or care pathway – adding a branded home page and a directory of local continence services, referral routes, and support.
It's a straightforward way to connect trusted, nationally recognised guidance to your own pathways – helping people find the right support first time.
Let's talk.
Want to know more first? Find out how our free apps work and how to localise this app for your organisation – both open in a new tab.
If you'd like to explore how CONfidence could support your community or organisation, we'd be glad to talk.