Guidance

Pressure ulcers: how to safeguard adults

How to respond to individuals at risk of developing pressure ulcers, prevent harm where they occur and raise a safeguarding concern.

Applies to England

Documents

Details

These documents help practitioners and managers across health and care organisations to provide caring and quick responses to people at risk of developing pressure ulcers.

The guidance offers a process for the clinical management of harm removal and reduction where ulcers occur, considering if an adult safeguarding response is necessary. The guidance also outlines how the appendices should be used if a concern is raised:

  • appendix 1: adult safeguarding decision guide
  • appendix 2: body map
  • appendix 3: concern proforma

Pressure ulcers, which are largely preventable, cause distress to individuals and their families and create financial pressures for the NHS. While the treatment of pressure ulcers is mainly clinical, prevention is a shared responsibility.

Updates to this page

Published 16 January 2024
Last updated 23 July 2024 + show all updates
  1. Updated the links to the updated National Wound Care Strategy Programme (NWCSP) pressure ulcer recommendations and clinical pathway documents.

  2. Updated guidance and appendices to reflect NHS England's 'Pressure ulcer recommendations and clinical pathway' guidance, developed under the National Wound Care Strategy Programme.

  3. First published.

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