DISTRICT nurses are struggling to help some patients who suffer from bedsores with the number of sufferers rising, hospital bosses have revealed.

The sores – also known as pressure ulcers – mainly develop in patients who are confined to beds or wheelchairs for prolonged periods and cannot easily change position.

Bev Tabernacle, the Royal Bolton Hospital’s acting director of nursing, told a meeting of Bolton NHS Foundation Trust’s board members that 14 patients had developed pressure ulcers in February.

Ms Tabernacle said that while it was “very disappointing to see the figures rise” over the last few months, this could partially be blamed on staffing issues on wards.

However, she said when patients being treated at home developed pressure ulcers it was a “difficult situation” for district nurses to manage.

Ms Tabernacle said: “We ask some wheelchair users to have relief from their chair to prevent ulcers, but they want to be able to maintain their independence.

“It comes down to the patient’s choice. If someone does not want to engage with the treatment plan they do not have to, even if they are causing themselves harm.

“If they have the capacity to make a decision on their care they are in their rights to do that, so we cannot force care on them.”

Bedsores can cause serious harm to patients and, if they become infected, they can lead to potentially-fatal septicaemia.

Dr Jackie Bene, the hospital’s chief executive, said: “Some patients are not comfortable with the pressure cushions. They are not the most comfortable of devices.

“This is a problem, particularly in the community setting. In the hospital setting it is easier to manage in terms of the care.”

Ms Tabernacle said an improvement was expected for March, but said she could not understate the impact of staffing on care.

Non-executive director Mark Harrison added: “We really do expect it to go down in March and we expect it to stay down. If it does not, then we really have to look at it.”

In 2011, the Royal Bolton Hospital was named as one of the worst in the country for patients suffering from bedsores.

At the time bosses admitted the figures — which placed them in the top five hospitals in England for rates of pressure ulcers against what would be expected — were "a concern" but said they had invested £1 million on new beds with pressure-relieving mattresses.