Lack of Care Resulted in Painful Pressure Sores

Severe back pain resulted in our client being admitted to hospital. There were some early discussions about the risk of developing pressure sores and accordingly, an air mattress was requested and brought to the ward. However, this was never utilised. After 5 days in the hospital, our client was discharged, however, she soon had to return due to an aggravation of her back pain.

Before being admitted to a hospital ward, our client was left on a urine-soaked trolley for hours, having been unable to get to the toilet. It was during this admission that concerns were expressed to nurses about an open wound, however, no attention was given to this. Several days later, a nurse confirmed the presence of a significant pressure sore and only at this time, was the air mattress put onto our client’s bed. Almost 2 weeks later, our client was discharged from hospital, at this point with a grade 3 pressure sore. Sadly, there were concerns about infection and our client was again admitted to the hospital.

The pressure sore had deteriorated to a grade 4 by this time and aggressive treatment followed. With treatment over several months, the sore finally healed, however, it left behind a large painful scar and very distressing memories for our client. The development of the pressure sore, the scarring and the psychological suffering could have been avoided, had appropriate risk assessments and pressure sore prevention measures been undertaken during our client’s admissions to the hospital.

Our client believes that more should be done in hospitals to remind staff of the importance of pressure sore prevention, whilst this is often forgotten whilst patients are being treated for their primary injuries. We could not agree more with our client. Pressure sores are, in most circumstances, avoidable and no healthcare professional should allow the opportunity for them to develop.