Wound care and treatment for legs

Lower leg wound care pilot

NCH&C and ECCH have been working together on a new national initiative to improve lower limb wound care. Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care System (ICS) is the first in the East of England to be chosen for the project by the Academic Health Science Network (AHSN).

A digital app which supports wound care assessments has been introduced and is currently being piloted by a team in Waveney. The aim is to integrate it into the electronic patient record system used by both organisations which gives clinicians access to the latest information wherever they are in Norfolk and Waveney.

This electronic system has also been improved to enable staff to better record whether patients have had the expected and required levels of assessment, treatment, education and planning.

These changes have resulted in clinicians being able to spend more time with patients, update records more efficiently and complete onward referrals for patients as soon as possible after their initial appointment. It has also helped with earlier recognition of wound causes.

A new training film to help health professionals improve how they care for patients with lower leg wounds has been produced as part of the joint project between NCH&C and East Coast Community Healthcare (ECCH) and with the help of media students from East Norfolk Sixth Form College in Gorleston. It has also been shared with GP practice staff across Norfolk and Waveney.

Tissue Viability Specialist Nurses Jayne Jode and Kate Drake appear in the film which you can view here.