Monash University has developed health professional training and education packages to support best practice chronic wound care management. If you are a health professional and you want to access the CWCS scheme and online ordering portal, you must enrol and complete this training.
Every year, more than 420,000 Australians suffer from a chronic wound, costing patients an average of $4000 in out-of-pocket costs.
From May, the Chronic Wound Consumables Scheme (CWCS) is set to ease that cost burden.
The long-awaited scheme will cover the cost of wound consumable products for patients aged 65 and above and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients aged 50 and above, who have diabetes and a chronic wound.
It will cover the full cost of products including bandages, dressings and adhesives, with the Department of Health and Aged Care (DoHAC) adding that it will ‘consult with wound care experts to develop the full list of products the scheme will cover’.
In practice, the CWCS will work by allowing a patient with a chronic wound to visit an eligible health professional, who will then assess the wound and order the required wound care products for their patient through an online portal.
‘The health professional will be able to choose from various wound care products listed on the online portal. We are developing the list of eligible products,’ the DoHAC says.
‘The wound care products will be delivered to a patient’s home or health professional’s office, at no cost for the patient.’
The May launch comes more than a year after the $47.8 million scheme was first announced by the Federal Government.
Health professionals deemed eligible for the scheme are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners, medical practitioners in a primary care setting, including GPs, nurses, and podiatrists.
However, medical professionals must complete Monash University-developed training to use the online portal.
This new wound care training has been created by Monash wound care experts and includes one-hour online modules which are free and tailored to the needs of different healthcare roles.
See website for more details
