Catheter Care

Catheter care training delivered at your workplace. Half a day. Hands-on equipment handling. The clinical awareness your team needs to support individuals safely, recognise complications, and escalate correctly.

Course Overview

A urinary catheter is one of the most commonly used medical devices in care settings. It is also one of the most poorly understood.

In over a decade of delivering this training, one of the most consistent gaps we encounter is care workers who have been supporting individuals with catheters for months, sometimes years, without ever having seen a full catheter or understanding how it actually works. They do not know what the balloon component is, how it sits inside the bladder, or what it means when urine leaks around the outside of the catheter rather than through it.

That last one, catheter bypass, is particularly important. It is a sign that something needs attention, but without training, it is often either missed entirely or recorded incorrectly, and the individual deteriorates before anyone escalates.

This is not a criticism of care workers. It is a training gap, and it is exactly what this course is designed to close. Catheter Care Training gives care staff the practical knowledge, hands-on understanding, and clinical awareness to support individuals with urinary catheters safely, respectfully, and in line with current good practice. Learners handle real equipment during the session, so the theory is grounded in something they have actually touched and seen. This course aligns with NICE guidance NG139 on urinary catheter care, NHS England infection prevention and control guidance, and the expectations of the CQC under Regulation 12: Safe Care and Treatment.

Course Details

  • Duration: Half day (3 to 4 hours)
  • Delivery: Face-to-face only
  • Certificate: CPD-Accredited Certificate of Achievement in Catheter Care
  • Awarding organisations: CPD-Accredited
  • Validity: No formal expiry. Refresher is recommended every 1 to 3 years, or sooner following changes to guidance, significant incidents, or changes in the care needs of the individuals being supported.
  • Group size: Maximum 12 learners per trainer

Who This Course Is For

This course is right for any care staff involved in the day-to-day support of individuals with urinary catheters.

  • Care assistants and support workers in care homes, supported living, and domiciliary care
  • Senior carers and team leaders
  • Residential, nursing home, and community care staff
  • Staff supporting individuals with long-term conditions requiring catheter management
  • New starters whose induction includes catheter care responsibilities

Important:   This course covers catheter care and management. It does not train learners to insert catheters. Catheter insertion is a clinical procedure that must be performed by a nurse or appropriately trained clinician registered with the NMC. If you need guidance on the distinction between care responsibilities and clinical responsibilities, we are happy to advise at the enquiry stage.

Not sure whether this course covers what your team needs? Get in touch, and we’ll help you work it out before you commit.

Why This Training Matters

Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are among the most common healthcare-associated infections in the UK. NICE guidance NG139 is clear that the risk of infection increases significantly when catheter care is not carried out correctly, and that many CAUTIs are preventable with proper practice and timely escalation. But infection is not the only risk. Blockages, bypass, catheter displacement, skin breakdown from poorly fitted leg straps, and avoidable hospital admissions are all linked to gaps in catheter care knowledge. The consequences for the individual can be serious: pain, systemic infection, loss of dignity, and, in vulnerable individuals, rapid deterioration.

Under CQC Regulation 12: Safe Care and Treatment and Regulation 17: Good Governance, providers must ensure care is delivered safely, risks are managed, and records accurately reflect what is happening. CQC inspectors look at how catheter care is managed, documented, and escalated. Poor practice in this area creates inspection risk across multiple key questions.

The knowledge gap is often more basic than organisations realise. Staff who do not understand how a catheter works cannot be expected to recognise when something is wrong with one. This course closes that gap directly.

What the Session Covers

All content reflects NICE guidance NG139 and current NHS infection prevention and control standards throughout. Topics covered include:

  • What urinary catheters are, how they work, and why they are used, including a practical look at catheter anatomy and the components staff will encounter
  • Types of catheters and drainage systems: short-term, long-term, suprapubic, and leg bag versus night bag systems
  • Hands-on practical: handling catheters, changing drainage bags and night bags, fitting leg straps correctly, and positioning considerations
  • Infection prevention and control in catheter care: hand hygiene, aseptic principles, and avoiding common contamination errors
  • Daily catheter care and hygiene: what good practice looks like at every interaction
  • Monitoring urine output, colour, clarity, and flow: what is normal and what is not
  • Catheter bypass: what it is, what causes it, and why it must be escalated rather than managed with incontinence pads
  • Recognising red flags and complications: infection, blockage, displacement, and skin integrity
  • Maintaining dignity, privacy, and consent at every stage of catheter care
  • Record keeping and communication: documenting care clearly and escalating in writing
  • When to seek medical advice: district nurse, GP, and emergency escalation

Every course is also built to include your organisation’s escalation routes, documentation systems, and incident reporting processes as standard.

How the Course Is Delivered

This course is delivered face-to-face only. The practical elements cannot be replicated online, and we do not attempt to do so.

Sessions are delivered at your workplace or chosen venue. Groups are capped at 12 to ensure every learner gets sufficient hands-on time with the equipment. Every session is built around your working environment, your client group, and your internal processes. We also design each course to incorporate your specific catheter types, your documentation and escalation routes, and any recent practice concerns or incident patterns. If your team has had a catheter-associated incident, we can discuss how to build that context into the session during the enquiry process.

Delivery includes:

  • Practical equipment handling: catheters, bags, night bags, leg straps, and positioning
  • Scenario-based discussion drawn from real care situations, including bypass, infection signs, and escalation decisions
  • Reflective discussion encouraging learners to connect the content directly to their own role and setting
  • Coverage of your documentation systems and escalation routes

Certification and Validity

On completion, learners receive a CPD-Accredited Certificate of Achievement in Catheter Care.

There is no formal expiry, but a refresher is recommended every 1 to 3 years, depending on organisational requirements, changes to guidance, or changes in the care needs of the individuals being supported. Many organisations align catheter care refreshers with their infection prevention and control training cycle. If there has been a significant incident, a change in practice, or a CQC inspection finding related to catheter care, an earlier refresher is advisable. Our Infection Prevention and Control training pairs naturally with this course for teams who want to address both areas in a joined-up programme.

Why Organisations Book With Prima Cura

Most training providers arrive with a course. We arrive with yours.

Before the day, we gather information about your workplace: your incident reporting forms, your internal procedures, the specific hazards your team actually faces. On the day, your trainer works that into every scenario, every discussion, every practical exercise. If your staff work in a care home, they’re not practising on hypothetical office workers. If your team are lone workers, that context shapes how the session runs.

It means the training lands. Not because it was well-delivered in a generic sense, but because it was relevant to the people in the room and the situations they’ll actually encounter.

A few other things that matter to the organisations who book with us:

  • 98.9% learner satisfaction across all Prima Cura courses
  • All trainers hold Enhanced DBS certificates and maintain ongoing CPD
  • We advise honestly on the qualification level at the enquiry stage. If a different course is a better fit for your workforce, we’ll say so before you book, not after

We respond to all enquiries within one working day.

Where We Deliver

We deliver in-house training at your workplace or chosen venue across Manchester, Greater Manchester, and the wider North West. We also deliver nationally across England, including North England, South England, London, and Surrey.

All sessions are led by experienced Prima Cura Training instructors. Groups are capped at 12 per trainer to protect the quality of hands-on learning.

Our associate network means we can deliver across England. You can meet the team on our Associates page.

FAQs

Does this course teach catheter insertion?

No. This course covers catheter care and management only. Catheter insertion is a clinical procedure that must be performed by a nurse or appropriately trained clinician registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. If your organisation requires insertion training, this must be delivered by a qualified NMC-registered nurse trainer. We are happy to advise on the distinction between care and clinical responsibilities at the enquiry stage

What is catheter bypass, and why does it matter?

Catheter bypass is when urine leaks around the outside of the catheter rather than draining through it. It is a sign that something needs attention: most commonly, a blockage, a catheter that has become dislodged, or a balloon that is no longer correctly positioned. It should always be escalated and never recorded as normal or managed with incontinence pads as a substitute for investigation. This course covers bypass in detail, including recognition, correct documentation, and escalation. If bypass is occurring, call 999 or contact the district nurse or GP without delay.

Does the course include practical equipment handling?

Yes. Learners handle real catheter equipment during the session, including catheters, drainage bags, night bags, and leg straps. This is a deliberate and important part of the training. Understanding how a catheter works and how equipment fits together is fundamental to recognising when something is wrong. It also means learners leave with a practical frame of reference that an abstract description alone cannot provide.

Is this course suitable for domiciliary care teams?

Yes. The course covers catheter care in community and home settings as well as residential and nursing care. Scenarios are adapted to reflect the specific challenges of supporting individuals in their own homes, including lone working, remote escalation, and documenting care without an immediate senior on site. We deliver regularly across Greater Manchester, the wider North West, and nationally across England.

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Book or Enquire

Book your training or request a quote

Tell us your team size and your sector. We’ll come back with a quote, the right advice on qualification level, and a straight answer on whether this is the best course for your team.

We respond to all enquiries within one working day.

Our Commitment to Quality and Compliance

At Prima Cura Training, all courses reflect current UK guidance and best practice. All trainers are experienced professionals with relevant qualifications and ongoing CPD. Because many of the organisations we support work with vulnerable individuals, all trainers hold Enhanced DBS checks.

This course is reviewed against updates from NICE, NHS England, the Care Quality Commission, and current UK legislation and infection prevention guidance, including the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can read more on our Quality Assurance and Compliance page.

Reviewed by Stephanie Austin, Owner and Lead Trainer, Prima Cura Training | 25+ years in health and social care | 15+ years as a trainer | Last reviewed: June 2026 | Next review: June 2027

This page is for general guidance only and reflects UK legislation and best practice current at the date of review. It does not constitute clinical or legal advice. Catheter care must always be carried out in line with the individual’s care plan, the instructions of the responsible clinician, and current organisational policy. This course does not train learners to insert catheters. Catheter insertion is a clinical procedure requiring NMC-registered nurse training. If catheter bypass, signs of infection, or any other complication are observed, staff must escalate to a senior colleague, district nurse, or GP without delay. Employers remain responsible for ensuring their arrangements comply with CQC Regulation 12 and relevant infection prevention and control guidance.

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