Sydney Local Health District

Winner​: Transforming Patient Experience Award

Chronic wounds significantly strain healthcare systems with high readmission rates and costly outpatient services. Disjointed care makes patient suffering worse and increases healthcare burdens.

Sydney Local Health District (SLHD) aimed to improve chronic wound management by integrating streamlined, holistic care pathways to reduce hospital separations and enhance patient outcomes.

SLHD established a nurse-led Wound Care Command Centre within Australia’s first virtual hospital, utilising digital and virtual care solutions. The Centre uses an artificial-intelligence wound app, which provides:

• immediate specialist services
• reduced wait-times
• improved care continuity across geographic boundaries.

Since opening, the Wound Care Command Centre has:

• treated 223 patients
• significantly reduced average healing time
• improved wait times and access to specialist care from 13.4 days to 2 hours
• seen an average wound size reduction of 48%
• received positive patient feedback and a high patient satisfaction rate.

The model exceeded its healthcare separation reduction target but also demonstrated a potential for statewide scale-up. This showcases substantial cost efficiencies and high-quality service delivery.​​