The service is to aid and support all healthcare professionals who are involved in the management of:
- Complex wounds e.g. surgical wounds and chronic non-healing wounds
- Leg ulcer assessment and management
- Pressure ulcer assessment and management
- Diabetic foot ulcers
- Prevention of pressure ulcers/equipment needs
- Negative pressure wound therapy
Referrals are made for patients within the hospital environment, requiring support with a complex wound or pressure ulcer and will be seen and assessed by a Tissue Viability nurse and have a care plan provided.
Referrals can be made to the team by any member of the staff using
- ICE referral system
- Ugent referrals - Bleep system or telephone
The team review all the referrals on a daily basis (Monday to Friday) and review patients on Wards and in Clinic settings (although there is not a designated Tissue Viability clinic). The Tissue Viability Clinical Nurse Specialist also sees patients in the nurse led clinic in the Diabetes Foot clinic. Patients are assessed and reviewed as required.
The Community Tissue Viability team is available for patients not admitted to hospital and contact information can be obtained via community nurses.
There are 3 Tissue Viability nurses over the three hospital sites Warrington, Halton and the Captain Sir Tom Moore Buliding (CSTM).
Heather Aston
Xiurong Deng
Holly Leicester
Telephone - 01925 662594/ 01925 275571
(24 hour voicemail) checked throughout the day Monday to Friday - bleep 704/063
Available 8:00am-5:00pm, Monday to Friday
The Tissue Viability nurses provide regular training on pressure ulcer prevention. This training is delivered twice monthly and is also available via e-learning.
The Tissue Viability team have a network of Tissue Viability link nurses who attend regular link nurse study days and act as a Tissue Viability champion on their ward or area of work.
The Tissue viability team are part of the Registered Nurse with a Specialist Interest (RNSI) initiative - this involves a nurse from a ward or department working alongside the Tissue Viability team for a 12 month period. The RNSI will gain valuable knowledge and experience in Tissue Viability, which they can share with their colleagues.
The Tissue Viability nurses provide ' on the ward' training at the bedside on a daily basis.
European pressure advisory panel
An organisation that through research and education, strives for best practice and guidelines for the prevention and management of pressure ulcers across Europe.
National Institute of Clinical Excellence
Advice for patients and carers on the prevention and treatment of pressure sores from NICE
https://
React to Red
A pressure ulcer prevention campaign that is committed to educating as many people as possible about the dangers of pressure ulcers and the simple steps that can be taken to avoid them.
http:/
Stop the Pressure day
The European pressure advisory panel invites you to take part in next year's Stop Pressure Ulcers to help bring pressure ulcers to a wider audience. In 2019 there will be a Stop Pressure Ulcers to be held on November 21st 2019.
http://www.epuap.org/stop-pressure-ulcers/