Hospital is helping patients to “Stay Peachy” on World Stop the Pressure Day

The Tissue Viability team at George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust are encouraging the local community to ‘Stay Peachy’ in celebration of World Stop the Pressure Day.

The Stay Peachy campaign uses peaches to easily show how skin can be affected by pressure ulcers and, more importantly, how patients and carers can keep their skin peachy perfect by preventing and treating pressure ulcers early.

According to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), over 700,000 people are affected by pressure ulcers each year in the UK with over 60% of those aged over 70.

Pressure ulcers can lead to prolonged hospital stays, significantly impact patient recovery and increase the risk of complications such as infection and severe wounds; therefore, prevention and early intervention is very important.

Lorraine Thursby, Tissue Viability Lead Clinical Nurse Specialist, said: “Pressure ulcers, if left untreated, can lead to serious infections, so it’s important to prevent them or spot them early and get help. We’re asking the community to join our Stay Peachy campaign and help us to spread the word about the importance of preventing pressure ulcers.”

As part of the day, we’re treating patients to bowls of peaches and cream for their lunchtime dessert, alongside vital information to help “Stay Peachy.”

The team have also updated the pressure ulcer patient information leaflet and have released a new supporting video for people with reading or hearing difficulties. It is hoped that the video will also be used to in other healthcare facilities to further promote the message.

Editor notes:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/pressure-ulcers/background-information/incidence/#:~:text=Incidence-,How%20common%20are%20pressure%20ulcers%3F,by%20pressure%20ulcers%20each%20year.

Link to Patient Information Leaflet: https://www.geh.nhs.uk/patients-and-visitors/patients/patient-leaflets/stay-peachy-keep-your-skin-peachy-perfect

Link to video: https://youtu.be/U-sFwEPG7Uo