• To understand the process of assessing tissue viability negligence claims
• To recognise your role in protecting the organisation in which you work from costly litigation
• To reinforce the importance of undertaking appropriate and relevant record keeping on the care interventions you have undertaken, such as risk assessments, skin inspections, care planning (including regular repositioning), the use of pressure-relieving devices, and frequent skin evaluations
NHS Resolution manages the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts, and aims to reduce the cost of litigation in terms of clinical negligence claims. To achieve this, potential clinical negligence claims are screened to assess whether to defend the claim or to provide an out-of-court settlement. Nurse experts from all nursing specialties are engaged to review all documentation and patient records to offer an opinion on the viability of a claim. This article describes the processes involved in assessing tissue viability clinical negligence claims, providing examples of evidence that guided decisions and advice on how nurses can protect their organisation from costly litigation.
Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2019.e11301
CitationBrown A (2019) Legal implications of pressure injuries: experience of a tissue viability nurse expert. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2019.e11301
Peer reviewThis article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software
Correspondence Conflict of interestNone declared
Published online: 21 January 2019
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