Trust wins national award
Congratulations to Team LNWH who won the Nursing-Led Patient Safety Initiative of the Year for its Inclusive Skin Assessment Initiative.
The Inclusive Skin Assessment Initiative addresses significant health inequalities by enhancing pressure ulcer prevention specifically for patients with darker skin tones.
London North West University Healthcare Trust developed the programme after realising that traditional assessment methods often fail to detect early warning signs in non-white skin.
The trust’s approach included creating a visual skin tone assessment tool, delivering comprehensive training to staff across all departments, and embedding equity considerations into everyday clinical practice.
The results have been substantial, with a 50% reduction in late-identified pressure ulcers among patients with darker skin.
The initiative gained national recognition for its innovative approach to tackling healthcare disparities and represents a significant step forward in addressing systemic inequalities in NHS care delivery as well as establishing new benchmarks for inclusive clinical practice.