Tissue Viability Service

About our service

The tissue viability team provides a specialist service to patients with a wide variety of complex wounds including pressure ulcer prevention and management, prevention and management of leg ulceration, management of traumatic injuries, and complex non-healing wounds. The team also provide management of dynamic equipment across the city to facilitate discharge into a person's home and manage prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers in the community.

 

 

Who is it for?

Any person with a complex wound can be referred to this service by the nursing professional who is looking after them, if they are on the following list. We will then provide them with either telephone advice or face-to-face advice (in this case we will arrange a joint consultation with you and your clinician):

• District Nurses
• Community Children's Nurses
• BCHC inpatient unit Nurses (including HMP Winson Green)
• Private Nursing Home Nurses
• Practice Nurses (or GPs) can also refer to the Tier 2 lower leg community nurse led clinics.

 

 

Who provides it?

The service is provided Monday to Friday from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. by a team of specialist nurses, working across the city. Referrals can be made via email by a healthcare professional.

 

 

What happens at your appointment?

• Tissue Viability referral: following referral, a TVN will contact the referring nurse and discuss clinical need. A decision will be made if a joint visit required and a mutually agreed appointment arranged.
• Leg Ulcer Clinic referral: following referral via SPA, the district nursing tea, running the clinic will be in touch with an appointment for the leg ulcer clinic. Please read the inclusion and exclusion criteria before referring.

 

 

Information for carers / family members

A referral needs to be made by a healthcare professional. For initial support, your GP / Practice Nurse or District Nurse should be contacted.

 

 

Referral information for professionals

Referrals are made using the appropriate form:

Equipment

Tissue Viability Equipment Referral Form [docx]

 

Joint Visit

Tissue Viability Service Referral Form [docx]

 

Leg Ulcer Clinic

Tier 2 Clinic

Inclusion Criteria

• Aged 17 and over.
• Registered to a Birmingham GP.
• Independently mobile - can attend a clinic.
• Lower Limb (below the knee) wounds that have failed to heal within 2 weeks of treatment from the GP Practice.

 

Exclusion Criteria

• Age under 17.
• Non-Birmingham GP Practices.
• Housebound Patients (please refer directly to District Nurses).
• Lymphoedema (please refer directly to the Lymphoedema Service).
• Wound on the Foot (please refer directly to Podiatry)
• Dermatological Conditions (please refer directly to Dermatology)

All Tier 2 Clinic referrals need to be made via Single Point of Access (SPA) . In the first instance, phone 0300 555 1919, option 1. Please specify that this is for Leg Ulcer Clinic Tier 2.

 

Tier 3 Clinic

Inclusion Criteria

• Aged 17 and over.
• Registered to a Birmingham GP.
• Independently mobile - can attend a clinic.
• Patient must have been seen in Tier 2 clinic or other Community Nurse Clinic initially.
• Lower Limb (below the knee) wounds that have failed to show improvement within 4 weeks of treatment in the Tier 2 clinic.
• Patient is unable to tolerate a Mesi assessment or manual Doppler and requires Toe Pressures.

 

Exclusion Criteria

• Age under 17.
• Non-Birmingham GP Practices.
• Housebound Patients.
• Lymphoedema (please refer directly to the Lymphoedema Service).
• Wound on the Foot (please refer directly to Podiatry).
• No Tier 2 assessment completed.

Tissue Viability Clinic Tier 3 referral form [docx] 799KB

 

Email the completed Tier 3 referral form to tissue.viability6@nhs.net