Wound care nurse of the year 2019: runner up

I was honoured to be one of the finalists for the 2019 BJN Awards and to receive a ‘highly commended’ award. This has enabled me to showcase the significant benefits of delivering a lower limb care model that is based on delivering nursing care in a non-medical, social environment, which removes the stigma associated with leg ulcers and helps isolated older people reintegrate into their communities.

Often there can be a lack of senior engagement in wound care delivery and a lack of continuity and consistency of wound care and treatment planning (Ousey et al, 2013), yet leg ulcer management presents a significant challenge in primary care, with over 700 000 people in the UK estimated as suffering from such problems. Not only is it costly—the documented annual cost of leg ulcer care is a staggering £1.94 billion (Guest et al, 2017)—but there is also the fact that many patients with chronic wounds living at home may feel isolated; they may have symptoms that affect daily living and be anxious about their own ability to care for their wound. Research has shown that lonely people are more likely to visit their GP, have higher use of medication, higher incidence of falls and increased risk factors for long-term care (Cohen et al, 2006)—meaning there is a greater impact on general healthcare services.