Types Of Pressure Ulcer Claims

Pressure ulcers are areas of damage to the skin and the tissue underneath caused by prolonged pressure on the affected area.

Generally speaking, older people are the most likely group to develop pressure ulcers, mainly due to mobility problems and ageing skin.

Pressure ulcers often develop due to medical negligence in hospitals and nursing homes, emphasising how prevalent an issue they are.

Pressure Ulcer Negligence: What Is It?

In short, pressure ulcer negligence is when a patient has suffered an entirely preventable pressure ulcer. 

Although pressure ulcers can develop quickly when bed or chair bound, they are almost always preventable. When they occur, it can mean there has been a breach of duty of care.

If you suspect that you or a loved one has suffered unnecessarily due to developing a pressure ulcer, you may be entitled to make a pressure ulcer claim and should seek legal advice from a clinical negligence solicitor.

Types Of Pressure Ulcer Claims

Patients at risk of pressure ulcers need routine nursing assessments.

Understanding the different types of pressure ulcer claims is important to establish whether you are entitled to make a claim. 

Types of pressure ulcer claims include, but are not limited to:

1. Failure to regularly and adequately assess a patient’s needs
2. Failure to regularly check the patient’s pressure areas 
3. Failure to regularly reposition a patient to relieve pressure on vulnerable areas of skin
4. Failure to prevent infection of a pressure ulcer
5. Failure to adequately train nurses

1. Failure To Regularly and Adequately Assess A Patient’s Needs

The first type of pressure ulcer claim relates to failing to assess a patient’s needs.

As prevention is key when it comes to pressure ulcers, a Risk Assessment is a fundamental part of the duty of care. 

We see Risk Assessment documentation that has not been completed in a timely way or at all. We also see regular checks on the patient not being undertaken, and patients can be left in bedside chairs in hospital or care home environment for hours at a time without being moved. This can cause pressure ulcers to develop on the sacrum or buttocks.

Some individuals are at a higher risk of developing pressure ulcers than others. Every patient, whether at home, in hospital, or in care, should be adequately assessed for the risk of developing a pressure ulcer.

If healthcare professionals fail to assess a patient’s needs accurately and miscalculate the level of risk, and they develop a pressure ulcer, a medical negligence claim could be possible. 

2. Failure To Regularly Check The Patient’s Pressure Areas 

Failing to check the patient regularly is another common type of pressure ulcer claim.

Healthcare professionals should check a patient’s body from head to toe every day to prevent pressure ulcers.

They should also pay special attention to areas where pressure ulcers tend to form.  Appropriate equipment, such as air mattresses and heel protectors, can prevent pressure ulcers from forming.

A clinical negligence solicitor will be able to help you prove that there was a breach of duty of care and that you or a loved one suffered a pressure ulcer unnecessarily.

3. Failure To Regularly Reposition The Patient To Relieve Pressure On Vulnerable Areas Of Skin

Changing position and moving regularly is important to stop pressure ulcers from forming.

How Often To Turn Patients To Prevent Pressure Ulcers

Repositioning is recommended every six hours for people at risk of developing pressure ulcers and every two to four hours for people at high risk.

However, if a patient is bed bound and/or reliant on healthcare professionals to be moved, this can lead to pressure ulcer negligence. The patient needs to be given adequate pain relief to encourage compliance with the repositioning regime.

Although there are some cases when pressure ulcers are unavoidable, these circumstances are rare.

To learn more about whether pressure ulcers are a sign of neglect, be sure to read our blog.

4. Failure To Prevent Infection Of A Pressure Ulcer

Once a pressure ulcer has developed, the breaks in the skin become susceptible to becoming infected by bacteria.

Pressure Ulcer Infections

Although rare, pressure ulcer infections do occur. Signs of an infected pressure ulcer include fever, warmth or swelling around an ulcer, an ulcer that smells, or drainage from an ulcer.

If left untreated, this can result in numerous complications. Complications of pressure ulcers include, but are not limited to:

• Sepsis – Although rare, a pressure ulcer can lead to the life-threatening condition sepsis.
• Cellulitis – Cellulitis is an infection of the skin and connected soft tissues.
• Bone infections – An infection from a pressure ulcer can also burrow into joints and bones, causing osteomyelitis and septic arthritis.

5. Failure to Adequately Train Nurses 

In addition, a type of pressure ulcer claim relates to the inadequate training of nurses.

Knowledge and adequate training are fundamental to successful pressure ulcer prevention. Every patient with reduced mobility requires preventative care and a nursing care plan. 

However, there is no curriculum standard for pressure ulcer education for nurses and healthcare professionals, emphasising a key reason why pressure ulcers remain such a prevalent issue. 

If a nurse or healthcare professional failed their duty of care due to inadequate training and you developed a pressure ulcer, you could be entitled to compensation.

How We Can Help

If you suspect that you or a loved one have suffered unnecessarily due to the development of a pressure ulcer, you may be entitled to make a compensation claim.

Our team of experienced and sympathetic clinical negligence solicitors can help support and guide you and your family through the investigation process.

If you need advice, get in touch with Debra today.