CPFT wound care innovation project chosen as finalist for national award
A CPFT project transforming community care for wounds with digital technology is a finalist for the national Society of Tissue Viability Awards 2026.
Registered nurse Sally-Anne Bradford has been shortlisted for the ‘Going Green in Wound Healing Award’ recognising her work to address environmental challenges in skin health and wound healing with a clinically effective and accessible solution that reduces waste, improves access to services, and lowers carbon impact. The awards take place online at 6pm on Monday 9 February to celebrate innovation, excellence and commitment to improving care for skin health and wound healing.
Working as operational and clinical manager for CPFT’s Tissue Viability and Bladder and Bowel services - part of the Trust’s Older People and Adult Community directorate, Sally-Anne has embedded the digital wound assessment platform Minuteful for Wound (MfW) in community nursing teams and rehabilitation inpatient units.
Sally-Anne said: “This technology allows nurses to capture accurate wound images, track healing progress, and enable remote senior review, reducing unnecessary travel, minimising waste and duplication of care. In CPFT’s Tissue Viability Service we understand that managing wounds in an ageing population presents a significant challenge, and sustainable wound care requires preventative action to heal wounds quicker and stop deterioration. We have shown that improving care is directly linked to reducing environmental impact, in line with the NHS Net Zero Plan, the National Wound Care Strategy, and the principles of person-centred, community-first care.”
Since the project started in 2022, CPFT clinicians have completed more than 85,000 digital wound assessments for over 3,500 patients, online with no paper. The Trust has avoided over 2,000 in-person visits, saving around 1.1 tonnes of CO ₂ and reduced documentation time by half to save 5,432 clinical hours. Most importantly, patients have benefited from faster healing for 9,713 wounds.
Approximately half of all community nursing activity at CPFT relates to wound management which can have a huge environmental footprint when wounds are not healing, requiring frequent home visits, repeated use of sterile dressings and foam, with care potentially progressing to more carbon intensive surgical treatments or inpatient admissions.
Sally-Anne explained: “Our goal was to move from a reactive model relying on paper documentation and electronic records that were not practical and challenging for remote teams to navigate. This digital wound care system has helped us limit unnecessary in-person reviews reducing travel and waste and provide senior virtual oversight to support earlier healing.”
The project started training 61 staff across two community nursing teams in Huntingdon and St Neots and has since expanded to over 164 clinicians using the platform daily to support district nursing teams in St Ives, Wisbech and Fenland, and staff on the Trafford Rehabilitation Ward supported by funding from CPFT's Head to Toe Charity.
A 2025 survey confirmed most staff felt very confident using the app and the digital imagery has improved patient engagement, with many reporting feeling more in control and more motivated to improve their overall health.
One senior nurse commented: “Staff can escalate their concerns, have a senior clinician review the wound photograph and history, and receive advice without the delays of waiting for a home visit. This improves skill mix and releases time to care.”