PROMOTING good skin care was on the agenda as Basingstoke hospital hosted a pressure ulcer prevention awareness week.

Ulcers are wounds caused by prolonged pressure when a patient has limited mobility and is lying or sitting in bed for long periods of time.

They most commonly occur in the elderly and can develop either at home or in hospital.

Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is encouraging patients to take good care of their skin by regularly checking for signs of redness, keeping moving, keeping the skin clean and dry and making sure they are eating and drinking well.

During the awareness week, information stands were set up in the hospital and specialist tissue viability nurses spent time running training updates for staff and visiting wards with information for staff and patients.

Hampshire Hospitals chief nurse Donna Green said: “We are aware that pressure ulcers can be very uncomfortable and often debilitating. Our aim at HHFT is to eliminate hospital-acquired pressure ulcers.

“Our staff try very hard to prevent patients from developing pressure ulcers and, for those patients who come in with them, to ensure they do not deteriorate further and hopefully improve.

“Our patients and their carers have an equally important role to play.”