There is considerable emphasis at a strategic level across the whole of the UK to reduce the number of patients who develop a PU. In England, a Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) payment framework enables commissioners to reward excellence in care delivery by linking a proportion of healthcare providers’ income to the achievement of local quality improvement goals.

The Safety Thermometer delivery document recommends that CQUIN be used to incentivise improvement in outcomes and that roviders focus on PU data, with the aim of reducing all PUs across the health service.

This supplement focuses on the use of prevention strategies in the acute setting and on the use of Aderma dermal gel pads for patients at risk of pressure ulcers.

Supported by ADERMA a trademark of Smith & Nephew.