Carers Resource on Education in Woundcare (CREW) programme

It will:

• provide a standardised education programme on pressure and moisture damage prevention, including general skin care, normal skin physiology, and age degeneration on skin physiology to all nursing, residential and domiciliary care organisations
• establish a baseline number of pressure ulcers within the community
• reduce the number of pressure ulcers acquired across all categories
• achieve cost savings through utilisation of prevention strategies
• promote knowledge and increase information to facilitate appropriate treatment in a timely manner

Who the course is aimed at

This course is open to staff working in all care settings in adult social care in County Durham.

How it is delivered

The course currently comprises of three taught sessions of approximately 90 minutes each:

• Anatomy and Physiology of the Skin
• Prevention of Pressure Ulcers
• Prevention of Moisture Lesions

Currently the sessions are delivered as face to face training sessions in our Trust locations, and regular sessions delivered on Microsoft Teams. You can pick the method of delivery to suit you and are encouraged to complete all three sessions. We are hoping to be able to deliver face to face training within the care homes once it's safe for us to do so.

How the course is assessed

A competency sheet is completed following the session to check learning, and discussed/marked at the end of the session. Staff can then take away their completed sheet as an aide memoire.

Learning outcomes

• Provide a standardised education programme on pressure and moisture damage prevention, including general skin care, normal skin physiology, and age degeneration on skin physiology.
• Promote knowledge and increase information to facilitate appropriate treatment in a timely manner.
• Reduce the number of pressure ulcers acquired across all categories.

Benefits of attending

Patients cared for within community settings and at home have many co-morbidities, most of which have a detrimental impact on skin integrity.

The focus within primary settings should be for prevention of pressure ulcers and moisture lesions rather than the treatment of such events. Very often however it is not until a pressure ulcer or moisture lesion has been identified that prevention strategies are appropriately put in place. This is likely due to a lack of knowledge into the aetiology of development and confusion and misinterpretation of the definition of the changes. There is a plethora of skin care products on the market which leads to difficulties in decision making for clinical care, confusion with application aims and very often multiple products being utilised in short time periods, thus delaying wound healing, and leading to prevention strategies being unsuccessful. The recommendation for best practice would be to standardise education for all care settings, utilising shared protocols and collaborative practice.

Training dates

Trust Site

Microsoft Teams

Maximum number of participants

15 to 17 delegates (face to face) and unlimited for Microsoft Teams.

Booking information

To book, please contact Jessica Haynes on 01325 743 178 or jessica.haynes@nhs.net.