Pressure damage risk assessment
Vale of Leven Inquiry · The Vale of Leven Hospital Inquiry Report · Issued 24 November 2014 · Addressed to: NHS Health Boards (Scotland)
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry 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.
Vale of Leven Inquiry, The Vale of Leven Hospital Inquiry Report · 24 Nov 2014 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:
- 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/)).
Response — verbatim from government
●Scottish Government
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.
Scottish Government · 18 Jun 2015 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
- 1 Jan 2025 · Healthcare Improvement Scotland 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 source → Good Progress
Each entry above links to a primary source — gov.uk written statement, consultation response document, or inspection report. The Index does not characterise government intent; it tracks what has been published.
How this page is built
Source and Response are verbatim from primary documents. The Evidence trail records published activity since — written statements, consultation outcomes, inspection findings, parliamentary references. The Index does not paraphrase or characterise intent; it tracks what has been published. Where the evidence is the absence of action (a missed deadline, a slipped timetable), that absence is documented from primary sources rather than inferred.
This recommendation's data is verified periodically against primary sources. The Index is monitored for staleness weekly.