How to get a referral for your child
The clinic sees children on referral from a physician or nurse practitioner. This page explains who can refer, what to bring to that appointment, what to do if you do not have a family doctor, and what happens next. At the end is a note you can print and take to your child's doctor.
About this page: Written by the clinic team. Last updated . How this information is written and reviewed
The clinic starts accepting referrals in January 2027. You can talk to your child's doctor before then; the note at the end of this page tells them when and how to refer.
Why a referral is needed
The clinic is a consulting service. A referral from a physician or nurse practitioner is needed for OHIP to cover the visit, and it gives the clinic your child's health history.
Families cannot refer themselves, and a referral does not mean the clinic will accept it. The physician reviews every referral against the clinic's written criteria, and some children are better served by a different service.
Who can refer
A physician or nurse practitioner in Ontario who knows your child can send the referral, for example:
- Your child's family doctor
- A nurse practitioner
- A paediatrician who already sees your child
Your child's doctor decides whether a referral to this clinic is right. They may suggest trying some steps first, or a different service.
What to bring to that appointment
A few notes make the conversation with your child's doctor easier, and the same notes help the clinic if your child is referred:
- A poo (stool) diary for 2 weeks: how often your child poos, what the poo looks like, and any pain, straining or accidents.
- A bladder diary for 3 days: drinks, pees, sudden urges and wet times.
- For bedwetting, how many nights a week are wet, and whether your child has ever been dry at night for 6 months.
- What you have already tried, for how long, and what happened.
- A list of your child's current medicines.
- Your questions, written down.
Talking to your child's doctor
Describe what happens and how it affects your child day to day, for example at school, at night or during activities.
Ask whether a referral to a bowel and bladder clinic could help, and whether there is anything to try first.
If your child's doctor decides to refer, the note at the end of this page tells them how.
If you do not have a family doctor
Health Care Connect is the Ontario program that looks for a family doctor or nurse practitioner who is accepting new patients near you. You can register by calling 811.
Health811 gives free health advice from a registered nurse, day or night, by phone at 811 or online, and can help you find health services near you.
Community health centres provide primary care in many Ontario communities, and some accept new patients.
Nurse practitioner-led clinics provide primary care, and some accept new patients. A nurse practitioner can refer a child to this clinic.
A walk-in clinic can also assess your child and advise on next steps.
Who the clinic sees
Children aged 2 and older in Ontario with:
- Constipation: hard, painful or infrequent poos
- Poo accidents or soiling in underwear
- Bedwetting
- Wetting during the day
- Needing to pee very often or very suddenly, or holding on too long
Some problems need a different service, for example repeated bladder infections with fever, green vomiting, blood in the poo, a very swollen tummy, or problems with growth, walking or the nerves. Your child's doctor will direct these to the right service, or to an emergency department when urgent.
What happens after a referral
The clinic acknowledges the referral to your child's doctor within 2 business days, and the physician reviews it. If it is accepted, you receive an email with a secure link to a questionnaire, and then a booking. The first visit is by video.
This clinic is not for emergencies. If your child is unwell, call your doctor, go to the nearest emergency department, or call 911.
A note to take to your child's doctor
Print this note, or show it on your phone. It holds no information about your child, only about the clinic and how to refer.
Information for your child's doctor or nurse practitioner
Canadian Paediatric Bowel & Bladder Clinic is a referral-based clinic in Ontario for children aged 2 and older with functional bowel and bladder problems: constipation, soiling (encopresis), bedwetting (enuresis), and daytime wetting, urgency or frequency. The first visit is by video.
Referrals are accepted from physicians and nurse practitioners. Families cannot self-refer.
The clinic starts accepting referrals in January 2027. Please do not send a referral before then.
The referral criteria, including the presentations the clinic does not accept, and what to include in a referral are on the Refer page of the clinic website, with a one-page referral guide.
- Website
- bbdclinic.ca
- Referral criteria
- bbdclinic.ca/refer
- Referral guide
- bbdclinic.ca/referral-guide
This note contains no patient information.
Next steps
Referring a child?
The clinic starts accepting referrals in January 2027. The criteria are published now.
A parent or guardian?
Families cannot refer themselves. Your child's doctor or nurse practitioner decides whether a referral to the clinic is right.