Wound Care & Ulcer Management Policy

What's inside

This policy is fully drafted and structured, ready to brand and complete for your service. It covers:

• 1. Purpose
• 2. Scope
• 3. Policy statement
• 4. Definitions
• 5. Assessing the wound
• 6. What we manage, and what we refer
• 7. Debridement
• 8. Offloading and dressings
• 9. Recognising infection
• 10. Review, escalation and discharge
• 11. Roles and responsibilities
• 12. Training and competence
• 13. Records, monitoring and audit
• 14. Version control and review
• 15. Common failure modes
• 16. Appendix A - Wound assessment and progress chart
• 17. Appendix B - Escalation triggers
• 18. Related documents
• 19. Disclaimer

CQC fundamental standard

Legislation & standards it maps to

• Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 - in particular Regulation 9 (Person-centred care), Regulation 12 (Safe care and treatment), Regulation 17 (Good governance) and Regulation 20 (Duty of candour)
• Health and Social Care Act 2008: code of practice on the prevention and control of infections
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline NG19, Diabetic foot problems: prevention and management
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on antimicrobial stewardship and on leg ulcer management
• Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013

Who it applies to

All podiatrists and clinical staff involved in wound care, and the clinical lead and registered manager of [Organisation Name]

Glossary

Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.

Debridement

Removing dead tissue and hard skin from a wound so that healthy tissue can heal.

Eschar

Hard black dead tissue. On a foot with poor circulation it is usually left alone rather than cut away.

Exudate

Fluid coming from a wound.

Gangrene

Tissue that has died, usually because its blood supply has been cut off.

Granulation tissue

New pink tissue growing in a healing wound.

Ischaemic

Short of blood supply.

Maceration

Skin that has gone soft and white because it has been too wet.

Neuropathic

Affected by nerve damage, so the patient cannot feel pain in that area.

Offloading

Taking pressure off the wound so it can heal, using padding, special footwear, a boot or a cast.

Osteomyelitis

Infection that has reached the bone.

Probing to bone

Being able to touch bone through the wound with a probe, which strongly suggests bone infection.

Slough

Soft yellow or grey dead tissue in a wound.

Wound swab

A sample taken from a wound to identify which bacteria are present.

How it works

1. Buy securely with Stripe - instant, no VAT, no account needed.
2. Download your editable Word file from the link we email you straight away.
3. Complete the placeholders for your service, then have it approved before use.
4. Add the optional updates subscription and we keep it current as guidance changes.