Mölnlycke Health Care presented its Wound Academy Scholarships and Awards at a recent lunch held at St Paul's Cathedral.

The annual Scholarships and Awards are a reflection of the Mölnlycke Health Care Wound Academy's commitment to wound care education. They provide health care professionals in the area of wound care with the opportunity for personal and professional development.

This year's winner in the Novice Practitioner category was Vanessa McDonagh, Tissue Viability Nurse at University Hospital in Coventry. Vanessa receives a Scholarship, to continue her work to reduce and manage pressure ulcers among hospital patients. Jane Banwell, District Nurse Team Leader with Llanfyllin Group Practice Medical Centre, won the coveted Tissue Viability Champion Award, for her work in encouraging community based care for people with chronic lower limb oedema and lymphoedema.

Due to the high standard of entries this year, two teams were awarded a Team Scholarship Award. The Oakridge Wound Care Service at Parklands Hospital in Basingstoke, impressed judges with a new referral system that improves appointment times as well as shortening the healing time for leg ulcers. The team has worked closely with the podiatry, vascular and dermatology services, and has also implemented a 'well-leg' service. The judges particularly liked how this project demonstrated that by working with commissioners in an innovative way, it can lead to positive, cost-effective patient outcomes.

The second team award winners, the Tissue Viability and User Group at Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust, wowed judges with a project that has implemented a multi faceted review of the trust¿s tissue viability service and pressure ulcer policy. This project, with the backing of the Chief Executive, Chief Nurse and Medical Director, has so far led to a decrease in the severity of pressure ulcers, increased awareness amongst staff and prompter management of those admitted with ulcers.

A Highly Commended Team Award was presented to The Tissue Viability Team at Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS Trust. The delighted team won the award for its commitment to develop an effective communication process, by creating links between the twenty five acute hospitals and ten specialist departments, to improve care for patients.