2.3 Describe why team working is important in relation to providing pressure area care

This guide will help you answer 2.3 Describe why team working is important in relation to providing pressure area care.

Team working means several people join efforts to reach a common aim. In health and social care, team working brings together a range of staff with different skills, knowledge, and experience. Everyone plays their part — nurses, care workers, physiotherapists, doctors, and support staff. Each person shares responsibility for the care given and relies on one another to meet individuals’ needs.

What is Pressure Area Care?

Pressure area care focuses on protecting the skin and tissues of people who might not move enough by themselves. Lack of movement leads to pressure ulcers. These are wounds caused by continuous pressure, often at points where bones are close to the skin, like heels, hips, or elbows. Preventing such ulcers helps keep people safe, comfortable, and maintains their dignity. Providing this care involves checking skin, helping people change position, using special mattresses, and monitoring nutrition and fluids.

Why Team Working Matters in Pressure Area Care

Pressure area care needs more than just one person’s input. It draws on the skills and observations of the whole care team. No single worker can see everything or provide care 24 hours a day. Team working means that everyone is alert to risks and can act quickly if something changes.

When members of a team communicate and work together, individuals in their care benefit. They receive consistent, joined-up care that is much less likely to allow small problems to become serious. This directly reduces the risk of pressure ulcers forming.

Key reasons why team working improves care:

• Sharing all key information about the person’s needs
• Noticing early warning signs, like red skin or discomfort
• Planning and carrying out repositioning schedules
• Accessing the right equipment on time
• Providing good nutrition and hydration
• Ensuring support is always there, including overnight

Early Detection of Risks

Team working allows different people to spot early signs of pressure damage. One worker may notice a small change in the skin during personal care. Another may see the person is eating less, affecting skin health. If these findings are shared, the risk can be tackled early.

Without good team working, these signs could be missed or not passed on. This would delay action and increase harm.

Examples of early warning signs include:

• Red or purple areas on the skin
• Blisters
• Complaints of pain or burning in one spot
• Wet or fragile skin

By sharing what they see, workers help the team decide what to do next and who needs to be involved.

Consistent Communication

Information must flow freely within the team to avoid mistakes. Regular communication means all staff understand each person’s current risk level, care plan, and any changes. This avoids duplicating work or missing important tasks, like repositioning or skin checks.

Methods to support good communication:

• Daily handovers, where staff share updates at shift changes
• Written care records available to all team members
• Clear verbal communication during care tasks
• Using communication books or digital systems, if available

Gaps in communication can lead to neglect. For instance, if one carer is not told that a person needs turning every two hours, the skin may break down. Working as a team stops these avoidable errors.

Planning and Delivering Care Together

Pressure area care relies on a team approach. No one person can do it all. Work must be planned as a group effort. Teams decide together when to support movement, change positions, use equipment, and review care for each person.

Tasks that work best through team effort include:

• Developing and reviewing risk assessments
• Putting in place and following repositioning charts
• Setting reminders or timers to prompt staff
• Helping each other lift, move, or change someone’s position safely

Regular team meetings or discussions help everyone stay on track with these plans. Rotating responsibilities ensures every team member shares the workload and care remains consistent.

Using Specialist Knowledge

Pressure area care often needs input from staff with different areas of expertise. For example, a registered nurse might lead the development of a care plan, spot more complex risks, and prescribe dressings. Carers carry out much of the day-to-day work, like turning people or applying cream. Physiotherapists may advise on safe ways to move individuals. Dietitians help if poor nutrition is a risk.

Team working means each expert’s advice is put into action. All staff value and use others’ knowledge to give the best care. No-one’s skills are wasted or ignored.

Safe Use of Equipment

Special beds, cushions, or moving aids are often needed to protect skin and support movement. The team must know how to use this equipment safely and when to use it.

Benefits of shared equipment knowledge in a team:

• Reduces injury to staff and the person
• Stops damage to equipment or mis-use
• Provides comfort and dignity for the person
• Makes sure the right support is always available

Teams can provide training or demonstrations, share feedback about faulty items, and agree on regular checks to keep all equipment safe and ready to use.

Promoting Person-Centred Care

Every person is different. A team can ask individuals about their wishes, needs, and routines. This may include the times they prefer to be turned, how they like to be moved, or what equipment feels acceptable.

Staff can work together to keep care plans up to date. People receiving care and their families can be part of the team, offering valuable insight into what works best. Listening to the person’s voice aims to improve comfort and dignity.

The team’s shared working increases the chances that care is flexible and adapted to changing needs and wishes.

Reducing Workload, Stress, and Preventing Mistakes

High workload and stress are common in busy care environments. Sharing pressure area care tasks means no single member feels overwhelmed. Team members can swap duties, support each other, and cover for absence.

Benefits include:

• Lower risk of missed care or errors
• Improved staff morale
• Fewer injuries for both staff and people receiving care
• A safe, supportive environment

If a team member feels tired, unwell, or unable to complete a moving task, another can help. This backup reduces harm to individuals and staff alike.

Training and Continuous Improvement

Good team working supports learning and improvement. Staff members can train each other, spot where knowledge is lacking, and suggest ways to improve. Open discussion about mistakes or near misses helps everyone work safer in the future.

Ways teams help each other learn include:

• Sharing updates about best practice or new techniques
• Reflecting on things that worked well or did not
• Offering support and feedback after tricky situations
• Attending training sessions together

This brings everyone up to the same standard and encourages ongoing improvement.

Meeting Legal and Organisational Requirements

Providing safe, effective pressure area care is required by law and organisational policy.

Laws and rules include the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and regulations from the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Not meeting these standards can lead to harm, complaints, and penalties.

Team working means:

• Everyone understands and follows company policies
• Staff take joint responsibility for recording care
• Audits can be completed, showing care has taken place
• Lessons from problems are learned and applied by all

This guards both the people receiving care and the staff from legal risks.

Supporting Holistic Wellbeing

Pressure area care is about more than just skin health. It connects with the whole person’s wellbeing — their comfort, dignity, independence, and mental health.

Team working helps the staff consider broader needs. For example, encouraging movement supports mental and emotional health. Protecting dignity during repositioning or personal care boosts trust and self-esteem.

Listening to concerns about pain, restlessness or worry gives the team a chance to adapt care so all parts of the person’s wellbeing are respected.

Involving Families and Advocates

Family members, friends or advocates may help support people at risk of pressure ulcers. They can provide extra observation, engage people in movement, or share key changes with staff.

Teams who work well include these people, keeping them informed and inviting their input. This partnership increases the chances that risks are reduced and wishes are respected.

Key Points for Daily Practice

• Make communication a daily habit. Always update colleagues when there are changes.
• Respect and use the skills of all team members, no matter their role.
• Record and share care plans, changes, and outcomes with the full team.
• Always plan repositioning and care tasks together and keep records up-to-date.
• Train and support new or less experienced colleagues.
• Welcome feedback and learn from incidents or mistakes with an open mind.

Overcoming Challenges in Team Working

Some obstacles can make team working difficult. These may include:

• Poor communication
• Staff shortages or high turnover
• Differences in training or knowledge
• Conflict or disagreement

Teams can overcome these by:

• Having clear routines or schedules for pressure area care
• Using regular meetings, both formal and informal
• Encouraging respectful, honest discussion
• Making sure all new staff know expectations around pressure area care

Everyone must feel able to raise concerns, admit if unsure, and ask for help. This keeps pressure area care safe.

Clear Records and Accountability

Pressure area care needs strong record keeping. Documentation proves care has been given. It gives information to all team members about what has been done. Records allow anyone to spot patterns or gaps. This can trigger early action or new plans.

Each worker must write and read the care records. Shared responsibility gives confidence that nothing is missed.

Final Thoughts

Team working is deeply important in pressure area care because it keeps people safe, prevents harm and promotes comfort and dignity. When care staff work together, communicate well, use each others’ strengths, and always put the individual at the centre, the risk of pressure ulcers drops sharply.

The quality of care improves, mistakes are fewer, and everyone — including staff — benefits from a safer, more supportive workplace. Pressure area care works best when it is everybody’s job and the team acts as one.