Setting up a community nurse-led healed leg ulcer clinic

The success of compression therapy and emphasis on healing rates of venous ulcers in studies has shifted the emphasis from prevention to cure. Venous insufficiency is, in the majority of cases, a chronic condition. From a patient's perspective, unless they are suitable for corrective surgery, he/she will never be rewarded with a cure. Patients often need to make permanent life-style changes to reduce the risk of ulceration or re-ulceration and may require differing levels of support to achieve this. The implementation of a designated clinic for patients with healed leg ulcers in a primary care trust in the east end of London is the first step in promoting a collaborative approach to prevention of leg ulcer recurrence.