Press Releases
March 2007 - CELEBRATED ACTRESS BRINGS PRESSURE TO BEAR IN SUPPORT OF NEW CAMPAIGN
June 2006 - WOUND CARE GROUPS LAUNCH HIGH PROFILE PRESSURE SORES CAMPAIGN
CELEBRATED ACTRESS BRINGS PRESSURE TO BEAR IN SUPPORT OF NEW CAMPAIGN
Veteran award winning actress Miriam Margolyes, has pledged her support to the national ‘Your Turn’ campaign, aimed at raising awareness of the horrific consequences of pressure sores.
Miriam’s mother, Ruth Margolyes, was left paralysed after a stroke and was cared for by her father, Dr, Joseph Margolyes, until his own health made this impossible. She was admitted to hospital for the last seven months of her life and it was here she developed a pressure sore.
A staggering one in five patients in UK hospitals develops a pressure sore with the NHS spending up to four billion pounds treating pressure sores and related conditions. The cost of treating the most severe cases ranges from £11,000 to as much as £40,000 per person.
Miriam says: “I didn't know what they were, didn't even see them on Mummy
until it was just too late. They're always covered up and that's the danger.
It makes me rage now to think of what she suffered so unnecessarily.
We have to do everything within our power to stop this happening to our loved ones.”
Dr Michael Clark PhD is a Senior Research Fellow at the Wound Healing Research Unit at Cardiff University and is recognised as a world authority on pressure sore prevention and management, he says: “Pressure sores are entirely avoidable. Sores are usually caused when someone sits or lies in one position for too long.
People who cannot move themselves should be repositioned at least every hour if sitting and every two hours if lying down - more often if possible.”
A pressure sore can develop within a matter of minutes but can last for months. Frighteningly they are associated with a 2 - 4 fold increase in the risk of death in older people in intensive care units.
Miriam says: “It makes me frustrated and incredulous to think that in a society where we have made such wonderful strides with medical technology, that an entirely avoidable condition such as a pressure sore is being completely overlooked. Helpless people need to be taken care of - it's our human responsibility.
Proper care can and would prevent these horrible sores and it can and
must be done.
Miriam Margolyes
BAFTA award winning actress Miriam Margolyes is a veteran of stage and screen and has achieved acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. She has appeared in many successful films, TV shows and theatre productions including Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Ladies in Lavender, Romeo & Juliet and most recently The Importance of Being Earnest and WICKED.
WOUND CARE GROUPS LAUNCH HIGH PROFILE PRESSURE SORES CAMPAIGN
Leading wound care groups, including the Tissue Viability Society, Wound Care Society and Tissue Viability Nurses Association, have joined forces to launch a high profile campaign aimed at raising public awareness about the dangers of pressure sores.
The campaign called ‘Your Turn’ hopes to educate the general public about pressure sores and give advice and information about how to prevent them developing.
A website www.your-turn.org.uk provides a wealth of information, advice and support for anyone concerned about pressure sores. It provides consumer friendly hints and tips about who may be susceptible to pressure sores, how to spot them in the early stages and most importantly, ways to avoid developing sores in the first instance.
Pressure sore specialist, Michael Clark, Senior Research Fellow, one of the founders of the campaign says: “One in five patients in UK hospitals endures the pain, discomfort and distress of pressure sores and yet many people’s perception of them is that they are just a patch of red skin. In fact pressure sores are often chronic and debilitating and can result in death.
“We are concerned that there is not enough attention and resources being directed to educating the public about what they can do to prevent pressure sores. The public needs to be alerted to the issues and realize the risk to themselves, their friends and relatives.”
And Michael hopes the campaign will prompt people to start asking questions and become aware of their role in reducing the number of people who suffer unnecessarily because of pressure sores.
He says: “We want people to start asking their GP, practice nurse, community matron, physiotherapist or any other health professional they come into contact with, about pressure sores and how they can be avoided.
“Knowledge is power and if people know the risks and what they can do to avoid them, we can go some way towards tackling what is a very real and costly health problem that causes considerable distress to thousands of patients a year.”
And the consequences of pressure sores don’t only impact upon patients, but can prove extremely costly to the NHS as well.
Up to 4% of the NHS budget is used in relation to pressure sores, with the cost of treating the most severe cases ranging from £11,000 to as much as £40,000.
Michael explains: “The knock on effect of pressure sores can be catastrophic. Each day that someone occupies a bed or their length of stay is extended in hospital because of a pressure sore, there is a significant cost. There is also a proven link between pressure sores and wound infection and the risk of MRSA. There is clear evidence that many chronic wounds contain a range of organisms and are vulnerable to hospital infections.”
He continues: “Although the Department of Health issued a directive back in 1990 stating that the NHS should reduce the number of pressure sores by between 5% and 10% annually, this has just not happened.
“Pressure sores are an increasing problem that affect thousands of people unnecessarily every year, and without a concerted effort by carers and health professionals alike, the problem will continue to spiral out of control.”
Note to editors:
More information about the ‘Your Turn’ campaign can be found at www.your-turn.org.uk along with advice and information about how to reduce the risk of pressure sores, where to access help etc
As well as wound care groups, the ‘Your Turn’ campaign is also supported by members of the British Healthcare Trades Association.
For further press information, images, to arrange interviews etc, please contact:
Maggie Doyle on 07770 682 481/Claire James on 07890 922 757/Emma Sumner on 07931 318 095.