Doctors in Liverpool are referring children as young as 13 to a specialist NHS clinic for “ketamine bladder”, a condition linked to sustained ketamine use. BBC reporting includes accounts from child patients describing severe bladder pain and difficulty passing urine.
The outlets describe this clinic as the UK’s first (and, in BBC’s phrasing, only dedicated) service for young people. The Guardian and other reports say Alder Hey in Liverpool runs the initial clinic, treating chronic and severe bladder problems, with some cases described as requiring advanced interventions such as dialysis.
Independent and Mirror coverage add findings from early patients, reporting that most are girls and that many come from deprived areas. The Daily Mail also emphasizes the importance of understanding the characteristics of referred teenagers to help prevent further harm. The differing angles focus on either patient experience and symptoms (BBC, some Daily Mail detail) or the demographic patterns and service details from the initial patient cohort (Independent, Mirror, Guardian).
