APPG and pressure ulcers

The recent meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on SCI (APPG) heard a powerful and impactful presentation from SCI Nurse Specialist Damian Smith about the devastating impact of pressure ulcers, the importance of prevention, and how the development of new products can deliver more timely and cost-effective care.

The focus on pressure ulcers was designed to support the international Stop the Pressure awareness day, held a couple of days after the APPG meeting, and left the assembled MPs and observers in no doubt that pressure ulcers is an area where the NHS can improve care and save significant costs. NHS England estimate the cost of treating pressure ulcers as £3.8m per day, which means that over £1bn each year is being spent on treating a condition which is essentially preventable – a number which can be doubled when the costs of litigation are factored in.

We will continue to actively campaign for better and wider understanding of how pressure ulcers can be prevented, and for the development and introduction of new and innovative ways of treating pressure ulcers if they do occur.