HP - Leg Club Approach
Leg Club Approach
HP - Aims & Benefits
Aims & Benefits
HP - Setting up a leg club
Setting up a leg club
HP - Compendium of practice
Compendium of practice
HP - Department of health policies
Department of health policies
HP - Resources
Resources
HP - Professional links
Professional links
HP - EWMA
EWMA
HP - Revalidation
Revalidation
HP - Our partners courses
Our partners courses
HP - Relevant papers
Relevant papers

We Asked Our Friends, Partners and Trustees........What is a Leg Club?

The Leg Club Approach

 Home visits by community nurses do not address the social and psychological needs of individuals requiring treatment and management of the loweer limb.

Following research into the particular problems faced by this client group, Ellie Lindsay set up Debenham Leg Club in 1995 to provide lower limb and leg ulcer management in a social, non-medical setting, where individuals  are treated collectively and the emphasis is on social interaction, participation, empathy and peer support.

This social model was conceived as a unique partnership between the Practice and District nurses and local community, in which indiviuals ents are empowered, through a sense of ownership, to become stakeholders in their own treatment.

Clinics were held weekly in a community cottage, on an informal ‘drop in’ basis and patient contacts average 1,200 per annum, 40% for treatment, the balance for assessment, monitoring and advice. 
  • What is a Leg Club - PDF

Identifying a Need

Loneliness is a significant health care issue for many elderly people in the community. Retirement, poor mobility, the death of family and friends, and the effects of demographic change on the cohesiveness of the family unit can create an environment of social isolation.

The correlation between social isolation, poor compliance to treatment, and low healing rates for patients suffering from leg ulcers is well documented.

Pain, odour, bandages etc. contribute to low self-esteem, depression and social stigma.