Happy New Year! This is an election year: I wonder what it will bring? The world of tissue viability faces many challenges and questions. Finances will remain a big challenge, whatever the outcome of the election.
The Times reports that the Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned that Jeremy Hunt's tax cuts are likely to be reversed in the forthcoming budget (Smyth, 2024). Tax cuts may be popular with some but, not wanting to be political, we would be wise to think through what they mean for the NHS. Cutting tax potentially means cutting services. Can efficiency really fill the gap? As someone who has been working in healthcare for over 40 years, yes, we can find better ways to meet clinical challenges, we can innovate, and we can bring real quality improvement. But will that be enough?
New ways of thinking offer us opportunities and post-COVID there is a move away from thinking of health challenges in silos towards a ‘population health approach’. Perhaps the focus has been too long on illness rather than health, mental health and wellness. It would be naïve to believe that having a physical wound did not impact on mental wellbeing.
The King's Fund (Holmes, 2022) has recognised ‘population health’, with an emphasis on greater integration and cross-boundary communication and working, while continuing to reduce health inequalities, thus fulfilling the three core functions of public health: prevention, protection and promotion. There can be no doubt that new and innovative thinking and approaches that put the community at the centre of thinking and engagement may have something to offer.
Many of you have contributed to quality improvement work but have not published yet and I would ask you to please consider it. I am fortunate, in my Wound Care Alliance UK (WCAUK) Chair role and of course my Professorial role at Birmingham City University, to attend many wound-related conferences. They are a great opportunity for networking and sharing best practice, and to see how new research and sharing of data has been influenced by previous research and publications. Alas, the conversations I have make me aware that we can do this better. If you are a less experienced author or writing for the first time or feel you need support, it is possible to offer this in a number of ways: co-authorship, a buddy partner, critical reviewer, peer support or critical friend. It does require effort, but I encourage you to develop your authorship skills. See the author guidelines (page S38) and consider writing for BJN's Tissue Viability Supplement
The WCAUK will be holding its annual conference on 15 May 2024 at the National Conference Centre in Solihull. All the trustees will be there, and the focus will be on what is new in tissue viability, including pressure ulcer prevention and management, lower limb care, foot care and wound care. Importantly, these topics are based on members' feedback forms at last year's conference. For further details, visit the website (www.wcauk.org).
The European Wound Management Association conference is being held at ExCel London on 1-3 May, with specialists from an estimated 80 countries. Free entry is available for all health professionals to the Community Healthcare Day on Friday 3 May, which will focus on skin tears, movement, skin tone bias and leg ulcer care. Visit www.ewma for details.
A new ‘how to guide’ and a briefing document on the Model Health System, a pressure ulcer surveillance system using national data sets, which aims to improve data accuracy and reduce variations, was released in January and is available from the National Wound Care Strategy Programme (NWCSP) website (https://www.nationalwoundcarestrategy.net). Also, if you are a health professional working in clinical practice and interested in dressing classification, the NWCSP is seeking your input. See the website for more details.
I am aware that Una Adderley, National Wound Care Strategy Programme Lead, will be retiring soon, and I want to personally wish her a very happy and restful retirement. Retirement comes in many guises and whatever you choose to do, I hope you enjoy the change, Una.