The Challenge
NHS spending on treating healed and unhealed leg ulcers is substantial, with most care provided in the community.
The Burden of Wound report (June 2021) indicates that an aging population leads to more skin damage and wounds, but this increase is likely across the entire population due to various underlying conditions.
Annual NHS Costs £8.3 billion
81% of the total annual cost incurred in the community (NIH 2020)
The Innovations
CARE has identified 19 projects aimed at:
•Staff Activation: 58% of the projects focused on improving staff training in wound care including the use of Dopplers and 2 of these projects specifically looked at upskilling staff in care homes.
•Improving Access: One project focused on developing a wound care service, while another centred on local implementation of the national strategy into the workplace to improve local patient access.
•Improving Clinical Care Quality: 63% of projects promoted the need to deliver an improved quality of care for patients who accessed the service.
19
CARE projects are likely to improve access and staff activation while reducing costs to the system.
The Impact
- Anna Davis’ Lower Limb Wound Pathway: Improved the referral process for early access to wound care services which improved outcomes for patients, care givers and services.
- Sally Wilkinson Navigating Challenges, Driving Impact: developed a mandatory training programme for clinical staff along with streamlining ordering processes for dressing which in turn has reduced patient treatment delays
