R25 Response Accepted

Pressure damage risk assessment

Recommendation

Health Boards should ensure that every patient is assessed for risk of pressure damage on admission to hospital using a recognised tool such as the Waterlow Score.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
- The Scottish Government published its response to the Vale of Leven Hospital Inquiry Report on 18 June 2015, accepting all 75 recommendations and establishing an Implementation Group chaired by the Chief Nursing Officer (Scottish Government Response, June 2015).
- The Scottish Government's response stated that the prevention and management of pressure ulcers is a fundamental aspect of nursing practice. Healthcare Improvement Scotland (formerly NHS Quality Improvement Scotland) developed the Scottish approach to pressure ulcer prevention, including risk assessment tools.
- The Scottish Patient Safety Programme includes pressure ulcer prevention as one of its workstreams, with standardised risk assessment on admission as a Patient Safety Essential.
- The Health and Social Care Standards require that patients receive high-quality care appropriate to their needs, which includes assessment for pressure damage risk on admission (Health and Social Care Standards (https://www.gov.scot/publications/health-social-care-standards-support-life/)).
Sources
How was this evidence gathered?
Evidence searched by Claude (Anthropic) on 10 Apr 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
This recommendation applies across many organisations. The evidence above reflects central policy activity; adoption in individual organisations may vary.
Jurisdiction
Scotland
Response
Accepted
Accepted Scottish Government
18 Jun 2015

Section 4.1 of the Scottish Government's response addresses this by stating that the prevention and management of pressure ulcers is a fundamental aspect of nursing practice. Healthcare Improvement Scotland published a Best Practice Statement - Prevention and Management of Pressure Ulcers in 2009. The national Tissue Viability Programme also commenced in the same year, aiming to support this area of care.

Read Full Response
Published Evidence

Published assessments of progress from inspectorates, select committees, official progress reports, and other sources. Source type badge indicates whether each assessment is independent or government self-reported.

Good Progress
01 Jan 2025
Healthcare Improvement Scotland Other

Excellence in Care framework includes pressure damage risk assessment as part of fundamentals of care. CAIR Dashboard monitors compliance with pressure damage prevention measures across all boards.

View detailed findings

Pressure damage prevention and Waterlow Score or equivalent risk assessment on admission is part of the national nursing quality framework.

CAIR Dashboard - pressure damage measures View Source
Source
Inquiry Vale of Leven Inquiry
Report The Vale of Leven Hospital Inquiry Report 24 Nov 2014
View Source
Responsible Bodies
NHS Health Boards (Scotland) Primary
Themes & Tags
Care risk assessment failures Falls prevention plans Pressure Damage Nursing
Recommendation age 11.5 yrs
Last formal update 4000 days ago