What is Pressure Ulcers Training and Why is it important for Nurses and Care Workers

Pressure ulcers, often called bedsores or pressure sores, are a significant challenge in healthcare settings, causing pain, complications, and prolonged recovery for patients.

With nearly 500,000 people in the UK getting at least one pressure ulcer each year, it’s important that staff have the right training and skills to help prevent them.

For care workers and nurses, preventing these injuries is a critical responsibility.

Pressure ulcer training equips healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills to protect vulnerable patients and deliver high-quality care.

In this post, we’ll explore what pressure ulcer training involves, why it’s essential, and how it transforms patient outcomes.

🔗 Related Course: Pressure Ulcer Onsite Training for Staff.

🧑‍💻Online Course: Pressure Ulcer Prevention (Community Setting) e-learning Course.

📚Relevant Courses: Wound Care and Management Training / Tissue Viability Training Course.

What Are Pressure Ulcers?

Pressure ulcers (also called bedsores) are sore spots on the skin. They happen when someone stays in one position for too long. These sores usually appear on bony parts of the body, like the heels, hips, or bottom (tailbone).

When there is too much pressure on the skin, the blood can’t flow properly. This can damage the skin and the tissue underneath.

Stages of Pressure Ulcers:

• Stage 1: The skin looks red and does not turn white when you press it. The skin is not broken.
• Stage 2: The top layer of skin is damaged. It may look like a blister or a small open sore.
• Stage 3: A deeper wound where all the skin is gone. You may see fat under the skin.
• Stage 4: A very deep wound. It may reach the muscle or even the bone.

Some ulcers cannot be staged right away if there is dead tissue covering the sore.

These are called unstageable ulcers. There is also a type called deep tissue injury, where the skin may look dark but the damage is deeper inside.

Who Gets Pressure Ulcers?

Pressure ulcers are common in people who can’t move easily, like:

• Older adults
• People who stay in bed or a chair for a long time
• People with health problems like spinal injuries

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What is Pressure Ulcer Training?

Pressure ulcer training is specialist care course that teaches care workers and nurses how to prevent, identify, and manage these injuries.

This training can delivered in a workshop, a virtual class, or through practical sessions. It is often taught by wound care experts or healthcare trainers.

What You Learn in Pressure Ulcer Training:

A typical Pressure Ulcer (Pressure Sore) Training covers how to assess risk using tools like the Braden Scale, focusing on movement, nutrition, and skin condition.

It includes prevention methods such as repositioning, using pressure-relieving equipment, and keeping skin clean and dry.

The training also teaches how to spot early signs, take action when sores appear, and record care properly to ensure consistent support.

Training is tailored to roles: care workers focus on hands-on prevention, while nurses lead assessments and coordinate treatment. Regular refreshers ensure staff stay updated on best practices.

Why is Pressure Ulcer Training Important for Nurses and Carers?

Pressure ulcer training isn’t just a tick-box exercise for compliance—it’s a cornerstone of patient safety, professional responsibility, and cost-effective care. Here’s why it matters:

1. Prevents Patient Suffering

Pressure ulcers can be very painful. They can start as a red patch on the skin (stage 1) and grow into deep wounds that show muscle or even bone (stage 4).

This is why training is important. It helps nurses and carers learn how to spot early signs and stop sores from getting worse.

Simple actions like changing positions often or using special mattresses can help.

By preventing pressure ulcers, carers can keep people comfortable and protect their dignity, which is a big part of giving kind and caring support.

2. Improves Patient Outcomes

Preventing pressure ulcers helps patient recover faster and live more comfortably — especially older people or those who can’t move easily.

Training teaches carers how to check for risks using simple tools like the Braden Scale and how to give the right care, like keeping the skin clean or helping with good food and drink.

Nurses help make sure the care plan is followed properly, which can stop problems like infections or sepsis, and help people heal more quickly.

3. Reducing Healthcare Costs

Treating serious pressure ulcers costs a lot of money. People may need to stay longer in hospital, use special beds or cushions, and sometimes have surgery.

The NHS spends millions every year on treating pressure sores, but many of these sores can be stopped before they start.

Training helps nurses and carers learn simple, low-cost ways to stop ulcers, like turning patients regularly or using foam cushions. This saves money and lets the NHS use its resources for other patient needs.

4. Meets Legal and Regulatory Standards

In the UK, pressure ulcers are seen as something that can usually be prevented. If a care home or hospital has a high number of cases, it may be checked by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

If staff don’t take the right steps to stop ulcers, the care home or hospital could get into trouble or even face legal action.

Training helps nurses and carers follow the rules from organisations like NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence). This keeps patients safe and also protects the staff and the organisation from problems.

5. Enhances Professional Skills

Pressure ulcer training helps carers feel more confident and do their job better. They learn how to check the skin properly and spot problems early.

Nurses also improve their skills, especially in wound care and planning the right care for each person. This kind of training can help them move into special jobs, like working in tissue viability.

People with this training are more likely to get better jobs in hospitals, care homes, or community care because their skills are in high demand.

6. Strengthens Team Collaboration

Preventing pressure ulcers needs teamwork from different healthcare professionals. Training helps nurses and carers work well with dietitians, physiotherapists, and doctors.

Carers learn to notice and report changes in the skin quickly, while nurses use this information to change the care plan if needed. By working together, the team can give better care and reduce the chances of missing something important.

7. Protects Against Ethical Breaches

Nurses and carers have a moral duty to protect vulnerable patients, like those who are bedbound or cannot express pain. If pressure ulcers are ignored, it can be seen as failing to care for the patient, which can make people lose trust in healthcare professionals.

Training helps reinforce these ethical duties, giving staff the knowledge they need to act early—whether that’s by moisturising delicate skin or writing down regular checks—ensuring patients receive respectful and careful treatment.

8. Boosts Facility Reputation and Morale

Care homes and hospitals with low pressure ulcer rates are praised for providing good care, which helps attract more patients and funding.

Training helps staff achieve better results, improving job satisfaction and team spirit.

When carers see their work prevent a stage III ulcer, or when nurses see patients recover more quickly, it makes them feel proud of their work, helping to create a positive atmosphere at work.

Key Elements of Effective Training

Effective pressure ulcer training is practical and actionable. It helps staff to:

• Check for Risk: Learn how to use simple tools to spot patients who might get pressure ulcers early on.
• Stop Ulcers Before They Start: Move patients often (like every 2 hours), use soft mattresses, and keep skin clean and moisturised.
• Act Early: Treat any early signs of pressure ulcers quickly, so they don’t get worse.
• Work Together: Get help from dietitians to make healthy food plans, or from physiotherapists to help patients move more.
• Keep Good Records: Write down what was checked and what care was given, so everyone knows what’s been done.

The training also talks about problems like not having enough staff or equipment. It gives smart ideas, like focusing on patients most at risk or asking for better tools and support.

Who Benefits from Pressure Ulcer Training?

• Care Workers: They perform daily tasks like repositioning, skin checks, and reporting changes. Training helps them act confidently and proactively.
• Nurses: As care coordinators, nurses assess risks, develop care plans, and liaise with doctors. Advanced training prepares them for complex cases.
• Patients: Ultimately, patients benefit from reduced pain, faster recovery, and preserved dignity.

FAQs 1

Challenges and Solutions

Even though preventing pressure ulcers is very important, there are some problems.

Understaffing and time constraints can limit repositioning or assessments. Some healthcare settings may not have the right equipment or regular training.

To fix this, healthcare managers should:

• Make sure all staff have regular training and updates
• Teach about pressure ulcers when new staff join
• Buy helpful tools like foam cushions or turning aids
• Create a workplace where staff feel safe to speak up if something is wrong

FAQs 2

The Real-World Impact

Prevalence and Incidence:

• Annual Cases (US): Around 2.5 million pressure ulcers are treated every year in the United States [National Library of Medicine, 2019].
• Global Prevalence: Around 12.8% of adult patients in hospitals worldwide have pressure ulcers.
• UK Prevalence: In England, about 9.04% of hospital patients have pressure ulcers, with rates varying from 3.9% to 27.7% across hospitals [Wound UK, 2021].
• Hospital Incidence (UK): Around 4–10% of patients in UK hospitals develop new pressure ulcers, depending on the patient group and hospital care.
• Annual Cases (UK): More than 700,000 people in the UK get pressure ulcers each year, with over 180,000 new cases annually [Wounds UK, 2024].

Impact and Outcomes:

• Mortality: Up to 60% of older people with pressure ulcers die within one year after leaving the hospital. Pressure ulcers increase the risk of death for older people in intensive care by two to four times.
• Length of Stay: Pressure ulcers in the hospital increase the average stay by 5–8 days.
• Quality of Life: Pressure ulcers make life much harder for patients, causing more pain and health problems.

Economic Burden:

• UK Costs: Pressure ulcers cost the NHS more than £3.8 million every day, which adds up to £1.4–£2.4 billion every year, about 4% of the NHS budget.
• Cost per Ulcer: Treating a pressure ulcer costs between £1,214 to £14,108, with grade IV ulcers costing over £10,000 per patient each year.

Book a Course

Pressure ulcer training is a must-have skill for care workers and nurses. If you work in healthcare, make sure to get trained to help prevent and minimise pressure ulcers for your patients. Should your workplace lack effective training, speak up and ask for better support.

If you are a manager, make sure your staff get proper training. It helps your team do a better job, keeps patients safe, and saves money in the long run.

At Caring for Care, we offer a half-day Pressure Ulcer Prevention and Management Training course for healthcare staff. This is often combined with our Tissue Viability or Wound Care and Management training to create a full-day course.

Training is delivered onsite for groups, with class sizes typically ranging from 3 to 12 people across the UK.

To enquire about pricing or to book, please email enquiries@caringforcare.co.uk or call: 01782 563333.

You can check our calendar to see all upcoming public courses for individuals here.

To learn more, visit resources like the NHS website for pressure ulcer guidance or check with local wound care associations.