Courses help to eradicate ulcers

SPECIALIST nurses at George Eliot hospital are inviting local nursing and care home staff to attend a series of educational events to tackle the incidence of pressure ulcers in the community.

The free events on March 16, June 15, September 14 and December 21, will examine tissue viability and how to stop pressure sores in their tracks.

Held at the George Eliot Hospital Training and Education Centre, the course was launched in 2013 to share advice about the recognition of risk factors and the importance of holistic treatment.

In addition, quarterly projects initiated by the groups, during these education days, are actively helping to eliminate pressure ulcers in both the hospital and the community settings.

Specialist Nurse and Service Lead, Lorraine Thursby said: “We origi- nally started these events for our own staff but extended this training to others who also work also with our most vulnerable patients out in the community.

“Recognition of risk and implementation of early prevention will actively reduce the chances for pressure ulcer development.

“Our events have attracted up to eighty nurses and care home staff and their feedback has shown that from these days, the shared learning from each other, can really make a difference. “We have had some amazing experiences as a result of this sharing reported back to us and this goes a long way in benefiting the care of our patients both in hospital and the care homes. “Feedback from the events has demonstrated that people who attend are able to make better skin assessments, know the signs to look for and improve the quality of life for

residents, by helping to treat them earlier.

“The events cover all aspects of tissue viability but there is a strong focus on pressure ulcers.

“We work hard to reduce the incidence of pressure ulcers at the hospital, and this is another example of the dedication of our staff helping the fight to eliminate pressure ulcers both within the hospital and out- side in the community.”

Staff from local nursing and care homes can find out more information and book a place at future events by emailing TissueViability.Mailbox@ geh.nhs.uk