Excellence. Every patient. Every time. This is the theme of the National Wound Care Strategy Programme's (NWCSP) National Wound Care Core Capabilities Framework for England (2021). It consists of five domains: underpinning principles; assessment, investigation and diagnosis; wound care; personalised care and health promotion; and leadership and management, education and research. The framework provides a standard for all levels of multi-professional clinicians, educationalists, researchers and managers. There can be no doubt that this is a significant achievement in tissue viability and will be highly influential in the future of wound prevention and care. This as a ‘must read’.
The delivery of excellent care to every patient every time really will make a difference. But how will we know what we are achieving? Using technology in tissue viability is the way to ensure high-quality care is provided to all and that it is monitored, evaluated and audited. The data clearly indicate it and patients will increasingly demand this. The latest evidence from Guest et al (2020) compares data from 2012-2013 to 2017-2018 and reports that there is an increase in the number of wounds and, significantly, an increase in the financial cost. Access to data is needed by clinicians, carers and patients. Wound management digital systems are now available for capturing, storing and analysis of images and patient information.
Education in tissue viability in the future may be vastly different to the past. The NWCSP will be recommending that those working at a senior level in tissue viability, such as tissue viability specialist nurses, will be educated to master's level.
Access to tissue viability education is, however, important at all levels and the future of high-quality care is dependent upon it. Whatever your opinion, I would be really grateful for your completion of the repeat Wound Care Alliance UK (WCAUK) survey on the provision of education. Over 1000 of you completed this last year at the beginning of the pandemic, so please do take the time. It will literally take 5 minutes and will enable us to compare the results to see what has changed 1 year on. The survey can be completed at https://cutt.ly/jnOFvYr.
There is a great need for education nationally and also internationally. The WCAUK has been pleased to support the provision of education in Uganda by supporting nurse Elizabeth Pearson, who has written about the innovative approach she has taken to improve care in this issue.
If the pandemic has made you reflect and consider contributing to tissue viability in a positive way then please look at our advert in this journal for the recruitment of a new WCAUK trustee. I am happy to discuss what the role entails.
On a personal note, I want to focus on the importance of personalised holistic care and the importance of thinking through the care you provide. My lovely father, who was 1.93 m (6 foot 4 in), died at the end of January at home. There was of course the challenge in getting him home and some health professionals being less helpful than others in achieving this. What really grates is that the NHS bed base was suitable for weight but not height. I was truly embarrassed that the bed was 20 cm (8 in) too short. His feet were literally hanging out of the end of the bed with the foot board removed. He used to say you can control your weight but not your height, and being tall certainly posed him many challenges, but this really was avoidable. The same thing happened to one of my professorial colleague's relatives. Please make sure that this does not happen to those in your care. It is said that the simple things make a difference. They truly do. Excellence. Every patient. Every time.
Finally, thank you to all those who have been supportive to the WCAUK during the pandemic. We look forward to seeing many of you again at the conference on 21 October 2021 in Cheltenham. Book via the website (https://www.wcauk.org/).
Please continue to stay safe.