Care homes: Wound care

Islington
Under Review — this page was due to be reviewed by Wednesday, 01 February 2023. The information shown here may be outdated.

Effective wound care can support people to live in good health for longer. Leg and foot ulcers are wounds that fail to heal within a few weeks and are common in older, less mobile people.

They can have a profound negative impact on quality of life in terms of:

  • pain
  • malodour and leakage
  • impaired mobility
  • anxiety
  • sleep disturbance
  • social isolation. 

Most leg ulcers are due to poor venous return and can be healed if people receive an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment. It is therefore important that anyone who has a wound on their leg or foot that is not healing, or is not likely to heal, should receive an assessment from a clinician with expertise in leg and foot ulcer management.

How to refer

If a care home has a resident who would benefit from a tissue viability team review, refer by completing the tissue viability referral form and sending it to central booking for screening and triage.
e: arti.centralbooking@nhs.net

If a staff member wishes to discuss a possible referral or any training needs that might have been identified in their care home, they can contact the team directly.
e: whh-tr.tissueviability@nhs.net


Review date: Wednesday, 01 February 2023