Health & Lifestyle

MPs call for new law to help the one in three men over 65 living with ‘hidden misery’ of incontinence by enforcing sanitary bins in male toilets

  • A group of MPs are demanding that men’s public toilets include sanitary bins
  • Most women’s bathrooms feature this provision but there is rarely any in men’s

Tens of thousands of men struggling with urinary incontinence could be helped by a change in the law being demanded by a group of MPs.

They have called on the Government to ensure that all male public toilets – as well as those in shops and restaurants – have sanitary bins installed for the hygienic disposal of incontinence pads.

Current legislation requires these containers are provided for female staff in the workplace, to dispose of used tampons and pads. Most women’s public loos feature them, too. But there is no such provision for men, even though one in three over 65s suffer some degree of leaks – often as a result of surgery for prostate cancer.

The Mail on Sunday’s GP columnist Dr Ellie Cannon last week wrote about the ‘hidden misery’ of male incontinence and questioned why it was such a difficult topic for people to discuss. In response, she received dozens of letters from male readers detailing their daily struggles, as some end up using more than a dozen incontinence pads a day, each costing between 50p and £1.

Some describe how they often have no choice but to carry wet pads around in public until they find somewhere suitable to dispose of them, while others are reduced to asking wives or girlfriends to dump them in women’s toilets. Many claim the lack of bins is ruining their social lives.

Jonathan Hall, 62, of Petersfield, Hampshire, has suffered leaks since undergoing surgery in 2020 for prostate cancer. ‘It’s unbelievable that there are so few facilities,’ he says. ‘I recently went into a big-chain coffee shop and there was not even a single bin of any kind'

Jonathan Hall, 62, of Petersfield, Hampshire, has suffered leaks since undergoing surgery in 2020 for prostate cancer. ‘It’s unbelievable that there are so few facilities,’ he says. ‘I recently went into a big-chain coffee shop and there was not even a single bin of any kind’

One in three men over the age of 65 suffer some degree of leaks – often as a result of surgery for prostate cancer

One in three men over the age of 65 suffer some degree of leaks – often as a result of surgery for prostate cancer

One prostate-cancer survivor says: ‘If I cannot find a discreet waste bin I end up putting them in my pocket until later.’

Another distressed reader adds: ‘I feel anxious leaving home and I have to plan ahead. I always take a couple of nappy bags with me to put the used pads in, but often end up carrying them around until I get home.’

Some upmarket hotels do have sanitary bins in the male toilets, one reader says, but they are in the minority: ‘This is a problem if you are out with friends, as I need a new pad every three hours.’

Urinary incontinence and bladder control in women, commonly caused by childbirth, has a relatively high public profile, with even TV adverts for products. The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations Act 1992 states employers have a duty to ensure all women’s cubicles have a sanitary bin, or if one is not available they must clearly signpost the closest.

The receptacles tend to have pedal-operated lids and some have antibacterial liners to protect against germ and odour build-up.

Earlier this year the charity Prostate Cancer UK launched a campaign called Boys Need Bins. It says one in eight men get prostate cancer – rising to one in four among black men – and a significant number experience bladder problems. This is because prostate surgery may damage the nerves that control urinary function as the cancerous tissue is removed.

Prostate Cancer UK claims more than a third of men with incontinence will leave home less often due to leaks and problems with pad disposal, increasing their risk of social isolation. Its research shows a similar number also keep wet pads on, rather than try to find somewhere to get rid of them.

But there is headway being made. Earlier this year, Jersey passed a law demanding sanitary bins in all men’s public toilets on the island, and Winchester Council in Hampshire has voluntarily installed them in male toilets. Meanwhile, hygiene specialist PHS Group has fitted them in all 60 or so motorway service stations run by the Moto group.

However, now a group of five MPs, along with former Age Concern worker Baroness Barker, have called on the Government to do more to help men with incontinence.

The group, which includes Tories Marco Longhi, Andrew Selous, James Morris and Justin Tomlinson and the SNP’s Kirsten Oswald, last week wrote to Health Ministers demanding sanitary bin installation be made legally mandatory in public toilets.

Baroness Barker told The Mail on Sunday: ‘Incontinence is a difficult subject for anyone to talk about, but we need to acknowledge the problem and help people maintain a dignified life.’

Jonathan Hall, 62, from Petersfield in Hampshire, has suffered leaks since undergoing surgery in 2020 for prostate cancer.

‘It’s unbelievable that there are so few facilities,’ says the father-of-two. ‘I recently went into a big-chain coffee shop and there was not even a single bin of any kind.

‘I had to change my pad and put it in the bin in the middle of the coffee shop where everyone was also placing their sandwich wrappers or napkins. I felt dreadful but had no other option. It’s not fair on the staff, the customers or me.

‘One man I met said he had not left the house for two years because he didn’t want to go anywhere unless he could be certain he could change his pad and dispose of it in a proper bin.’

Jonathan adds: ‘The Government has to hear about our experiences and take action. Male incontinence bins should be mandatory.’

The Department of Health and Social Care was approached for comment but did not respond.


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