Care providers duty to prevent pressure sores

Pressure sores (also known as bedsores and pressure ulcers) happen when a person is immobile for a period, placing pressure on a particular area of their skin. Depending on the pressure, these sores can form quickly.

Hospitals and other care providers have a duty to do everything they can to prevent pressure ulcers forming, whether this means regularly changing a patient’s position or simply providing an appropriate bed.

When this responsibility is neglected and a patient develops a pressure sore, the effects can be extremely dangerous as well as painful, especially in the vulnerable.