Tissue Viability

Tissue Viability is an area of healthcare that has synergy with many medical specialties - especially general surgery, vascular surgery, dermatology, care of older people, paediatrics, orthopaedics, and diabetology.

Essentially Tissue Viability is about the prevention and management of wounds. This includes wound management, pressure ulcer prevention and management, leg ulcer prevention and management, chronic oedema/ lymphoedema, skin care in Tissue Viability and infection control in Tissue Viability.

Tissue Viability is led by the Consultant Nurse and Senior Lecturer in Tissue Viability (FTE 1.0) and has a Tissue Viability Nurse for Care Homes (FTE 0.4) and a Secretary (FTE 0.5).

Worcestershire PCT is committed to high quality care in Tissue Viability and has both encouraged and enabled the development of a Tissue Viability section within the Worcestershire Primary Care Trust website. The area has been developed into sections including clinical guidelines, education and training, patient information, audit and evaluation and useful links:

Clinical guidelines

This section will include:

Wound Management

Topical negative pressure

Pressure ulcer prevention and management

Assessment and management of patients with leg ulceration

Chronic oedema

Skin care in Tissue Viability

Infection control in Tissue Viability  

Initially Wound Management has been the focus and includes the wound management guideline, wound assessment chart, Wound Management Formulary, Formulary colour guides for general staff and Formulary colour guide for podiatry, skin care in Tissue Viability guideline and wound dressing power-point presentation.

Topical negative pressure has also been added with the guideline, topical negative pressure audit and referral form and power-point presentation.

By April we plan that the Use of anti-microbial guideline will be available.

By May 2010 we plan that all information relating to pressure ulcer prevention and management will be included in this section.

By September we plan that all information relating to the care of patients with leg ulceration will be available.

Education and training  

In the education section we will include our annual education and training plan which includes accredited education run in partnership with the University of Worcester. We will also include conference flyers or any special Tissue Viability events that occur.  

Power-point presentations will be included to support the education and training in relation to the clinical guidelines.

Patient information

The development of patient, patient/carer information is a key priority for 2010 and is currently being developed with the County Tissue Viability team. As they are developed and approved they will be available on the web-site.

Audit  and Evaluation

Tissue Viability is a key area for audit as the speciality is rapidly developing. New products including, dressings, creams, bandages and pressure reducing/ relieving equipment are audited before use within the PCT.

Audit tools are frequently developed in relation to specific products and are submitted to clinical governance with the audit proposal form. A standard wound dressing evaluation form, standard bed base/mattress and the process for audit of new wound management products  is included.

Useful links and publications

Several web-sites are dedicated to specific areas of Tissue Viability and can provide access to international or national guidelines, useful tools, information. Key websites which have been reviewed have been included here. It is not exhaustive and we welcome your suggestions.   

We want this section of the Worcestershire PCT website to be helpful to you and we are happy to receive your comments and suggestions. We can be contacted by email on j.stephen-haynes@nhs.net and jayne.allchurch@hacw.nhs.uk

Jackie Stephen-Haynes, Consultant Nurse and Senior Lecturer in Tissue Viability,Worcestershire Primary Care Trust and University of Worcester