De-mystifying mattresses: what you need to know
Are the mattresses in your care setting truly fit for purpose- clinically, legally, and practically? This session will unpack the essential features of pressure prevention mattresses, helping you distinguish between regulatory requirements and optional enhancements. We’ll explore how mattress selection intersects with infection control, medical device regulations, and most importantly- the needs of the people you care for. Whether you're a clinician, manager, or procurement lead, this session will equip you to make safer, smarter choices.
Learning Outcomes
• Have some understanding of the regulatory landscape governing medical devices, including how pressure-relieving mattresses are classified and assessed.
• Be able to identify the main types of pressure prevention mattresses and their appropriate use in care settings.
• Recognise essential mattress features that support compliance with NICE guidance, CQC standards, and infection control protocols.
• Be able to consider optional mattress features- such as continuous low pressure or heel zones- and understand how they may enhance care without being mandatory.
Meet our Experts
Heidi has been a Tissue Viability Nurse since 2002. Her interest and passion in the prevention and management of pressure ulcers began, however, in 1987 on registering as a nurse. She has worked in both acute and community care.
People who watched this also watched...
Care Act, equipment and adaptations provision and integrated working
This two part webinar outlines key duties in the Care Act relevant to assessment and provision of equipment and home adaptations, as well as key legal principles applied by the courts when analysing local authority policies and individual decisions.
Sleeping in a riser recliner: What you need to know
This session covers what you need to know about sleeping in a riser recliner, exploring the person’s perspective alongside key postural and functional considerations. Nicola and Jayne will discuss how choice, mobility, mental health, confidence, and risk influence decision-making, supporting practitioners to reason with service users and balance comfort, safety, and autonomy.
Sit smart: seating, positioning and pressure care in practice
For Occupational Therapists, seating and positioning are not only about posture- they directly influence skin integrity, function, participation, comfort, and long-term health outcomes. Poor alignment and inadequate support can significantly increase pressure injury risk, impact upper limb function, and limit occupational engagement.
In this webinar, we will explore how seating posture, pelvic alignment, and support surface selection influence pressure distribution in seated clients. Using an occupational therapy lens, the session will link biomechanical principles to functional performance, risk assessment, and real-world clinical decision-making.
A live demonstration using a pressure mapping system will compare alternative seating positions in real time, illustrating how subtle adjustments in pelvic positioning, trunk support, and cushion setup can dramatically change pressure distribution and risk profiles. All these factors can help better inform 24 hour positioning.
This session is ideal for Occupational Therapists working in wheelchair services, community practice, neurorehabilitation, long-term care, and complex seating provision who want to strengthen their pressure care assessment skills and intervention strategies.