Wounds impact a patient’s quality of life, but research shows that this is often overlooked. Lifestyle concerns are haphazardly disclosed by patients, and not always recorded and addressed by nurses. Research (Green et al, 2013a; 2013b) led to the development of a leg ulcer consultation template (LUCT), which, in turn, raised the need for a generic tool to produce an overall, self-assessed ‘quality of life’ score for any patient with a wound. The principles of the LUCT were reviewed and a new ‘wound checklist’ developed, supported by an advocacy service, to ensure utility for all patient groups. Images, simplified questions and use of a ‘pain’ and ‘quality of life’ score improved the checklist’s accessibility, and aimed to show which areas of the patient’s life were affected by the wound. Results of an evaluation have been positive, and the new checklist is available as a paper version and is being developed as a digital resource.