One of the frustrations of being a specialist spinal cord injuries solicitor is that there are some people you can help quickly, where pressure ulcers shouldn’t be an issue. That will typically be the situation in cases where liability is clear and compensation payments to put the right care and case management, equipment, and therapies in place can be obtained quickly.
But then there are other people you can help, but where, pending establishing that someone is liable to the patient and then obtaining compensation, the risk of pressure ulcer problems arising seems greater. That can be the case in claims arising from clinical negligence where liability is almost always going to take often much longer to establish. Until that point the availability of quality care and support might not be optimal.
Outside of those patients who become clients because they have a claim for compensation to make, there is then the majority of spinal cord injured patients who are in a situation of needing to learn how to look after themselves and their skin management as best they can with often very limited support.
Of course, any spinal cord injured patient can encounter a pressure ulcer. It doesn’t take long, and the most innocuous mark can quickly become a major and sometimes catastrophic problem. Pressure ulcers do not discriminate, and even the best cared for, longest term patients can and do encounter problems even where they are doing their best to manage their situation to minimise the risk.
We have seen first-hand how quickly pressure ulcers can become a major problem. When pressure ulcers happen the consequential months of bed rest and the necessity for specialist nursing input; often significant associated problems with physical deconditioning over the weeks and months post injury; and the detrimental impact all of that has on a person’s ability to get on with their lives and to be as independent as possible cannot be over-emphasised.
Pressure ulcers shouldn’t happen we are told, and yet they do. Having an emergency care plan to help those who may care for you if you have to be admitted to hospital (whatever the reason you end up being admitted to hospital) also seems a very sensible precaution. Unfortunately, that a patient cannot reposition themselves effectively when they are lying in a hospital bed or waiting for clinicians can quickly lead to problems that are entirely avoidable.
It is often said that bed-blocking in the NHS arises because of lack of social care provision. Patients cannot safely be discharged because of the lack of adequate community-based care provision. That assertion doesn’t seem to be in dispute, but it seems to be an issue successive governments have not been able to fix. In that light, it was particularly illuminating at a Study Day at the National Spinal Injuries Centre, Stoke Mandeville recently to see the focus of attention and effort directed at helping to ensure that the beds weren’t becoming occupied as much as they are in the first place. What is one of the major causes of readmission to spinal injuries centres? Pressure ulcers.
As well as basic skin care management training and education post-injury for patients and carers; the work being done on specialist dietary management; weight and BMI management; physiotherapy and exercise; and on the design and availability of the right equipment (and technology) to help keep people healthier and avoiding readmission seems every bit as important as tackling the problem encountered at the other end of the readmission - namely the discharge home or back into the community.
If you would like to speak to us about a pressure ulcer claim, you might have please call us on 01788 557617 or email jonrees@brethertons.co.uk.
To view a case study featuring SIA Member, Sally, sharing her experience of pressure ulcers use this link: https://youtu.be/jbz3Hcs-fgs
To view SCI Nurse Specialist, Damian sharing his top tips for skincare management use this link: https://youtu.be/TjKStHrW114