About The Wound Healing Community Outreach Service

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The Wound Healing Community Outreach Service is supported by the Faculty of Health and the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation.

Our teams of researchers and health care professionals work towards two major objectives:

1. To develop new and innovative solutions to improve health issues, and
2. To apply these proven findings to enhance the lives of individuals and communities.

The Wound Healing Service is a dedicated facility for improving quality of life for people in the community with chronic wounds. It is operated by a Nurse Practitioner, Community Development Worker and a team of researchers.

A Nurse Practitioner is a registered nurse educated to function autonomously and collaboratively in an advanced and expanded clinical role. The Practitioner works in close collaboration with doctors and other health care providers. The Community Development Worker is specifically trained to liaise with patients and to create social support for patients with chronic wounds.

If you have a wound or an ulcer that is long term, persistent or non-healing, we encourage you to make an appointment to visit our wound care team. You do not need a referral from your doctor to visit the Wound Healing Service.

The Wound Healing Service is supported by QUT and non-government grants to keep patient costs as low as possible. At this stage, patients are unable to claim consultation fees with Medicare.

• Types of Wounds Treated
• How is the Wound Healing Service different to other services?

Types of Wounds Treated

The Wound Healing Service treats a range of wounds including leg ulcers, pressure ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, leg swelling, eczema or dermatitis, non-healing surgical wounds and we also aim to prevent wounds from occurring through early assessment and prompt intervention. Wounds may appear on any part of the body and they are wounds that can take a long time to heal or reoccur on a regular basis. They can be the cause of significant pain and immobility and can interfere with a person’s quality of life.

People with wounds require advanced and comprehensive assessments; cost-effective and evidence-based wound treatments and interventions; strategies to help prevent wound recurrence; and ongoing support and education to promote healthy living and wound improvement.

How is the Wound Healing Service different to other services?

There are a number of health care centres offering different treatments for chronic wounds in Brisbane. The Wound Healing Service aims to complement these existing centres by providing a centralised and community-based service for patients that connects different health care providers through collaboration and sharing of evidence-based research outcomes.

Patients who attend the Wound Healing Service are never discharged – they are always welcome to access the Service for regular health checks and to participate in social support activities with other people who have had or are experiencing a chronic wound.