Venous Leg Ulcer Healing and Promoting Well Legs to NHS Northern, Eastern and Western Devon CCG

NEW Devon CCG are looking to tender for the provision of Venous leg ulcer healing and promoting well legs to the three localities in NEW Devon. This provision will be split into the three lots:

• Lot 1 Eastern Devon
• Lot 2 Northern Devon
• Lot 3 Western Devon

The impact of venous leg ulcers in adults can be significant. Venous leg ulcers can lead to social isolation, depression and loss of independence. Most people with venous leg ulcers experience pain that can be debilitating, leading to a loss of mobility and sleeplessness.

Venous leg ulcers cost the NHS over one billion pounds per year. There are in excess of 100,000 active venous ulcers in the UK at any one time, and 80% of these have treatment that is based in the community.

A venous leg ulcer is not a diagnosis; it is a manifestation of an underlying disease process and, as such, we need to see the person with the leg ulcer first and foremost and the disease in that context.

The definition of a venous leg ulcer (detailed in Appendix 1) would be an area of epidermal discontinuity lasting in excess of four weeks. 70-80% of leg ulcers are venous. 10-20% are of mixed venous/arterial. 10% are arterial and a small number are related to other causes . Due to the nature of the pathology the mixed and arterial leg ulcers would be referred on to specialist services eg vascular eg Tissue Viability for the most appropriate treatment.

Venous leg ulcers affect around 1 in 500 people in the UK. This rate rises sharply with age with an estimated 1 in 50 people over the age of 80 developing venous leg ulcers . Chronic Venous leg ulceration has an estimated prevalence of between 0.1% and 0.3% in the UK.

In the UK, it is estimated that 1% of the population (and 3.6% of people older than 65) will suffer from leg ulceration during their life.

If you are interested in this opportunity then please express an interest using the links below.