Read Aloud the Text Content

This audio was created by Woord's Text to Speech service by content creators from all around the world.

Text Content or SSML code:

Optimising wound care pathways Clearly, ensuring a move to consistently getting wound care right first time will require consideration of all potential approaches, including supported self-care, and the development of appropriate wider care pathways. This will be happening not only within the context of an eventual recovery from the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also in the delivery of the NHS’s new integrated and ‘place-based’ approach to providing services. Patients want a clearer referral pathway that includes clear direction on where they should turn if they have a problem.41 One way that this can be achieved is by evaluating what is working well for wound care services, and where pathways can be made more effective for patients. It must be emphasised that this will not be a one-sizefits-all approach, and that what will work for some patients in one place may not work for patients elsewhere. However, as the NHS moves further towards its place-based care model with the development of integrated care systems (ICSs), there is an opportunity to consider how wound care services can be re-designed to best serve the needs of patients. This should be a priority for future research and should be at the forefront of policymakers’ minds in the NHS reform. A central theme in what we heard from patients is the need for more joined-up care between wound care service providers, in order to ensure that HCPs communicate more effectively with each other, aiding the patient’s interaction with their wound care service and promoting positive outcomes for patients.42To achieve this optimisation, 60% of patients ranked better co-ordination of providers as a priority for improving wound care services, alongside greater availability of providers and appointments.43 While different approaches may be appropriate for different locations and different patients, some form of guidance or framework on effective options for developing and implementing wound care pathways may be desirable