Stop the Pressure Day 2024

Everyone is different, but pressure ulcers don’t discriminate.

Today (21 November 2024) is International Stop the Pressure Day, an annual event to raise awareness of the impact of pressure ulcers. 

We are leading the way with the campaign, talking about this sensitive topic in order to help every SCI person have up-to-date knowledge on managing their own skin, plus access to the healthcare services that could help them.

To mark this year’s theme of inclusivity, we hope to increase everyone’s knowledge of pressure ulcers and how they are not always visible on dark skin tones.

Pressure ulcers are among the major complications of spinal cord injury (SCI), and they are something you will be reminded of time and again. It’s easy to become complacent about checking your skin daily, but the consequences of pressure ulcers can be serious. They can result in weeks or even months of bed rest and will cause much disruption to your daily routines, work and social life.

Pressure ulcers and dark skin tones

Normally, pinkness or redness are an early indication of a pressure ulcer forming but with dark skin tones this often isn’t the case. Without really looking, and really listening to the person with spinal cord injury, they can easily be overlooked completely until they’re at a later stage, and require longer to heal.

180,000 people are newly diagnosed with pressure ulcers every year – not just from within the spinal cord injury community. A lot of time and resource goes into treating them and their after effects, and people are ending up on lengthy bed rest when they want to be living their lives. At a time when the government are trying to cover growing costs, and balance the books we think it’s time for a new approach to treating them.

Lady Marie’s Story

Amicapsil

Pressure ulcers cost the NHS an eye-watering £8.2 billion every year – 700,000 people are affected by them, not just those with spinal cord injury. They are life changing, and can mean months of solid bed rest, as well as potentially dangerous complications. There is a treatment called Amicapsil that can reduce healing time, which many of our members have used successfully, however at present it can only be purchased independently.

Our member Steven has created a petition to make it available on the NHS, but it still needs more signatures.

SIGN THE PETITION

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