With wound and skin care taking up a considerable part of general practice nursing time, the new GPN ‘nurse consultation’ series follows the therapy chain for the management of patients with venous leg ulcers and looks at the skills needed to ensure safe, competent and professional consultations with patients.

Here, Kimberley Socrates, tissue viability nurse specialist, Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, looks at the first link, i.e. the importance of accurate wound assessment aided by skin/ wound cleansing and debridement, and offers a simple, clinical and cost-effective method of debridement.