In early 2024 Wounds Australia received a grant under the Chronic Wound Consumables Scheme (CWCS) to raise awareness of chronic wounds among consumers. The campaign, Be Wound Aware, will run until 2027 and, as 2024 draws to a close, we wanted to reflect on the progress made so far. 

Establishing advisory groups

The advice provided by the Clinical Expert Advisory Group (CEAP) and Consumer Advisory Group (CAG) on the language, tone and delivery of content will be integral to the campaign's success. Both groups have been appointed and held their first meetings, and will meet quarterly throughout the campaign.

Melissa Freeman was announced as Chair of the CEAP in August and Monique Bareham accepted the position of Chair for the CAG in early December. 

A consumer-focused website

The Wound Awareness Week website, woundaware.org, is now our destination for consumers. This will house a range of general information about wounds, wound care and sources of professional advice, while remaining the home of Wound Awareness Week. 

Repurposing the website was the recommendation of an independent online communications review and will serve as the central hub for the Be Wound Aware campaign. 

Social media channels go live

Say hello (with a follow!) to our dedicated campaign channels: @woundaware across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. These have been soft launched while we are creating meaningful content to share across the new platforms, which we'll be posting in coming weeks. 

Factsheets and videos

Eleven consumer-focused factsheets are now available for download from woundaware.org and are being distributed through a range of channels in order to ensure the widest reach. 

Two informational videos exploring the fundamentals of chronic wounds - the warning signs, sources of professional advice and more - have been created, and another set of videos are being shot in late January. This content will be shared across our social channels in the coming months. 

What do consumers already know?

A consumer research survey is currently underway to determine knowledge gaps in the public and their preferred sources of health communication. Its findings will be shared in early 2024 and used to guide the campaign's content and distribution. 

Looking ahead to 2025

There are many exciting plans to follow next year, so please stay tuned and #BeWoundAware. 

Should you have any questions regarding the campaign, please contact our new Project Communications Officer, Steph Shave via email: steph.shave@woundsaustralia.org.