SEPT 'Stop The Pressure' public awareness event

Staff from South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (SEPT) aim to raise awareness about the prevention and treatment of avoidable pressure injuries (also known as bedsores or pressure sores).

Pressure ulcers create significant psychological, physical and clinical difficulties for patients, carers and their families.  They are generally considered to be the most expensive chronic wound. In the UK costs are thought to range from approximately £1,214 for a grade 1 ulcer to £14, 108 for a grade 4. The increased cost associated with a grade 4 ulcer relates to increased time to heal and higher incidence of complications in deeper ulcers. The total cost for annual care in the UK ranges from between £1.4bn - £2.8bn, with nursing time and dressing acquisition dominating this costs.

Staff from SEPT’s Community Tissue Viability Services will be holding a public display at the Valkyrie Road Primary Care Centre, Westcliff, raising public awareness to help eliminate avoidable pressure ulcers. The event will take place on Friday 18 November and runs in conjunction with Worldwide ‘Pressure Injury Prevention Day’ (celebrated on Thursday 17 November).

Members of the public, carers and health care assistants are encouraged to drop by for information, training and advice from the team of specialist nurses. There is no need to book, just drop into the health care centre on Valkyrie Road and look out for the stand.

The event takes place on:

Date: Friday 18 November, 2016
When: Drop in between 09:00-17:00
Where: Valkyrie Road Primary Care Centre, 50 Valkyrie Road, Westcliff-on-Sea, SS0 8BU

Katie Fox, Community Tissue Viability Clinical Nurse Specialist Local Services for SEPT said: “Pressure ulcers present significant challenges for patients, care givers and nursing staff.

“They can have a significant and detrimental impact on patients and all those involved in their care.  They are often painful, costly, and potentially preventable.

“We hope that in raising public awareness of how pressure ulcers develop, and the simple steps that can be taken to help prevent them, we can all work together to overcome this challenge for our residents within South East Essex Locality.”