Bromley residents to benefit from wound care breakthrough

The AHSN Network Transforming Wound Care national spread and adoption programme aims to ensure all patients with lower limb wounds receive evidence-based care. This leads to:​

• faster healing of wounds
• improved quality of life for patients​
• reduced likelihood of wound recurrence ​
• uses health and care resources more effectively​

The programme uses the evidence, learning and recommendations from the National Wound Care Strategy Programme (NWCSP).

The Health Innovation Network, the Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) for south London, is taking part in Phase 1 of the programme and is supporting Bromley Healthcare CIC to establish a dedicated Lower Limb Wound Clinic Test and Evaluation Site.

The challenge

Most wounds to lower limbs heal within a few weeks. Chronic lower limb wounds are those below the knee that are slow or fail to heal. Chronic lower limb wounds account for at least 42% of all wounds in the UK, with leg ulcers being the most common type (34% of the total wound population, compared to 7% pressure ulcers and 8% diabetic foot ulcers).

A large proportion of the total wound care spend is for these chronic lower limb wounds because of their slower healing rates. In 2019, there were an estimated 739,000 leg ulcers in England with estimated associated healthcare costs of £3.1 billion per annum year.

Based on evidence from the National Wound Care Strategy Programme, the prevalence of total leg ulcers is expected to increase by around 4% annually, to over 1 million by 2036 if there is no intervention. This is driven by an increase in leg ulcers that either recur after healing or those that do not heal.

“Bromley Healthcare is delighted to be selected as a pilot Test and Evaluation Site for the new national Transforming Wound Care programme. The national wound care strategy will significantly reduce healing times for people, provide a better quality of life and maximise our nursing time. We feel honoured to be part of such an important programme working to improve wound care for people closer to home.

As a community service provider for people in South East London, we work closely with GPs and acute colleagues to ensure wound care is joined up. Through becoming a Test and Evaluation Site, we look forward to strengthening our joint work to support the early identification of wounds and continue to build our shared knowledge to improve care for people with wounds” – Jacqui Scott, Chief Executive Officer, Bromley Healthcare

How will we do it?

The three key elements of the programme are:

• People: the delivery of training to all staff supporting patients with wounds
• Processes: implementing a new evidence-based model based on the recommendations of the NWCSP
• Technology & design: supporting data collection and provision of care through a new digital wound management system

Find out more about the national programme.