$3 million for better wound care

The hidden epidemic of chronic wounds in Australia will be tackled through new initiatives funded with more than $3 million from the Federal Government.

20 March 2024

 

IT IS estimated that more than 420,000 Australians suffer from a chronic wound each year. Over 350,000 of them are 65 years or older. This means there are approximately 2,900 people and 2,400 seniors suffering from the painful burden of living with a chronic wound.

 

All wounds have the potential to become chronic wounds. They are classified by etiology into four categories, each with its own typical location, depth, and appearance: arterial, diabetic, pressure, and venous ulcers.

 

A chronic wound is a wound that does not heal in an orderly set of stages and in a predictable amount of time or wounds that do not heal within three months are often considered chronic. Chronic wounds often remain in the inflammatory stage for too long and may never heal or may take years.

 

An example of a hard-to-heal wound is a pressure ulcer, otherwise known as bedsore. These form on bony prominences, usually in cases where people are immobilised for extended periods of time such as people who are injured or the elderly.

 

Minister for Health, Mark Butler said “For hundreds of thousands of Australians, a simple accident can lead to a wound that just won’t heal, damaging their health and causing great pain and suffering.

 

“These new initiatives are part of the Government’s scheme to dramatically improve wound management to ensure that Australians can heal as quickly and well as possible.”

 

Wounds Australia and the Australian College of Nursing (ACN) will each receive grants for innovative new projects to improve understanding of wound care among health professionals and the broader community.

 

Wounds Australia will receive $2 million to deliver a national education and awareness campaign on chronic wound prevention and treatment. The campaign will aim to improve public awareness and patient knowledge of how to care for wounds to give them the best chance to heal.

 

Wounds Australia Chief Executive Officer Jeff Antcliff said “Our experience as Australia’s peak body in chronic wounds tells us that too many people do not receive the care they need to prevent their wound from becoming chronic.

 

“Our campaign will improve understanding of the wound warning signs, risk factors, the many sources of reliable wound care in the community, and the lifestyle factors that affect prevention and healing.”

 

ACN will receive $1.073 million for scholarships to encourage and assist nurses and Aboriginal Health Workers to undertake formal training, to improve wound management in primary care settings.

 

The grant will provide at least 120 scholarships each year for advanced training short courses for nurses, 5 scholarships for graduate certificates in wound care and one scholarship for a Masters of Wound Care course.

 

The grants are part of the Government’s $47.8 million Chronic Wound Consumables Scheme. While the scheme is targeted to people with diabetes aged 65 years and over, or 50 years and over for First Nations people, the grants will help people of all ages at risk of chronic wounds.