Newsdate: 15 November 2012
Two Health providers in Wigan have joined forces to help to educate local people about pressure ulcer prevention. The Your Turn campaign is aimed at educating people about the risk of pressure ulcers, an injury to the skin that can lead to serious infection and even death.
Roughly 1000 people a year die as a direct result of pressure ulcers in England. The aim of the campaign is to provide information about prevention to as many people in the Borough of Wigan as possible including those who are risk of developing pressure ulcers and those who are caring for people who are at risk.
The campaign will launch with an event at St Peter’s Pavilion in Hindley on Wednesday 28 November where information will be available to all members of the general public from a wide range of healthcare services about how to prevent pressure ulcers and related conditions such as incontinence, poor nutrition and mobility issues. The event will be run from 10am to 3pm and everyone is welcome.
Driven by the tissue viability staff at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust and Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Trust, the launch on 28 November is just the start of an on-going campaign to eradicate preventable pressure ulcers in the borough.
“The vast majority of pressure ulcers are entirely avoidable,” comments Lindsey Bullough, Tissue Viability Nurse from Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust. “The Your Turn campaign aims at providing a basic level of education about prevention which will help many people to avoid getting pressure ulcers at all. The steps that can be taken to avoid pressure ulcers are really simple and don’t cost anything. We would like to encourage people to come along to our information event and find out more. ”
Karen Patterson, Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Trust’s Tissue Viability Nurse based in Wigan, added , “Those people who are most at risk are those who have trouble moving and cannot change position themselves, have a poor diet and don’t drink enough fluids, have other related conditions such as incontinence or those who cannot feel pain over part or all of their body.”
If you want to know more about pressure ulcers, how to prevent them and whether you or someone you care for is at risk of developing pressure ulcers visit our awareness day or go to www.your-turn.org.uk for more information.