Pressure Relief Cushions

Pressure Relief Cushions for Wheelchair and Seating Pressure Care

Pressure relief cushions are designed to protect patients who spend extended periods sitting in chairs or wheelchairs, reducing the risk of pressure ulcers by evenly distributing weight and minimising friction and shear forces across care homes, hospitals, rehabilitation centres, spinal injury services, learning disability facilities, community care, and domiciliary care throughout England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. These specialist seating cushions provide essential pressure management for wheelchair users, long-term seated patients, and anyone requiring posture and pressure support whilst seated, serving care homes supporting residents spending time in chairs, hospitals treating patients with limited mobility, spinal injury units caring for individuals with paralysis, rehabilitation centres supporting patient recovery, learning disability services accommodating individuals with postural needs, and home care enabling independent living. Cushions can be made from high-density foam providing cost-effective pressure redistribution, gel offering comfortable moulding support, air cells delivering dynamic pressure relief, or combination constructions optimising multiple benefits, meeting NHS wheelchair services standards, CQC quality expectations, and NICE pressure ulcer prevention guidelines across all UK care sectors.

Seated pressure ulcers commonly develop at the ischial tuberosities (sitting bones), sacrum, and coccyx where body weight concentrates during sitting, particularly affecting wheelchair users with spinal cord injury, elderly care home residents with limited mobility, hospital patients spending extended periods in chairs, people with cerebral palsy or multiple sclerosis, and individuals with sensory impairment unable to detect discomfort signalling tissue damage throughout the UK. Pressure relief cushions prevent ulcers through even weight distribution eliminating pressure concentration, reducing friction during transfers and repositioning, minimising shear forces from sliding in chairs, and maintaining appropriate posture supporting pressure redistribution. Foam cushions provide reliable cost-effective pressure relief suited to low-risk individuals. Gel cushions offer comfortable support moulding to body contours. Air cushions deliver adjustable dynamic pressure relief suited to high-risk wheelchair users. Combination cushions integrate multiple materials optimising pressure relief, stability, and comfort. Waterproof covers support continence management and infection control meeting CQC hygiene standards throughout England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Prescribe pressure relief cushions following seated pressure risk assessment considering mobility limitations, sensory impairment, previous pressure damage, continence status, and time spent sitting across care homes conducting resident assessments, hospitals providing seating clinics, wheelchair services specifying appropriate cushions, spinal injury services managing high-risk patients, and community occupational therapy supporting home-based care throughout the UK. Match cushion specification to risk level ensuring high-risk individuals including spinal injury patients and those with previous pressure ulcers receive appropriate advanced cushions, whilst moderate-risk individuals benefit from mid-range options balancing pressure relief with cost-effectiveness. Consider practical factors including cushion weight affecting transfers, cover materials supporting continence management, maintenance requirements including inflation checks for air cushions, and compatibility with wheelchairs and chairs. Implement within comprehensive pressure ulcer prevention programmes meeting NICE clinical guideline CG179, combining appropriate seating with regular pressure relief through weight shifts or repositioning, skin inspection protocols, and multidisciplinary tissue viability input, supporting CQC quality standards and NHS patient safety throughout England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.