Collaboration improves outcomes: cross county, joint acute and primary care, working party to select a super absorbent dressing.

This abstract highlights the work undertaken by the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Tissue Viability Nurses Forum (BHTVNF) to select a super absorbent dressing for local formularies. A range of super absorbent dressings was selected to be included in the evaluation based on their accessibility via FP10 or NHS Supply chain. Dressings were evaluated in the hospital setting, community setting and leg ulcer clinics. Table top evaluations were also undertaken. Performance of dressings both clinically and via table top were considered along with costs. It was interesting to find out that hospital patients had different needs to community patients and as such three recommendations were made. The acute sector has added one super absorbent which is different from the community selected one. The community has also selected a lower performing super absorbent which the acute sector has not chosen.