If you’ve ever worked in community nursing, you’ll know how relentless chronic wound care can be. Across the UK, millions of people live with wounds that just won’t heal – and for many, it’s not just the physical pain, but the emotional toll of repeated dressings, endless appointments, and feeling like life is on hold.

As nurses, we carry that weight too. We want to make things better, but with limited time and resources, it can feel like we’re constantly firefighting. That’s why, in Cardiff and Vale, we decided it was time to try something different.

In September 2024, we opened the doors to the Allied Health and Nursing Collaborative Leg Engagement (ANCLE) Café – a new kind of clinic, created in partnership with Cardiff Metropolitan University. But calling it a clinic doesn’t quite do it justice.

It’s a warm, welcoming space where patients come not just for expert wound care, but for connection, learning and support. We offer:
• personalised care from a multidisciplinary team
• advice on diet, mobility and self-care
• activities like quizzes, cooking sessions and gentle exercise.

And here’s something we’re especially proud of: Allied Health and nursing students are part of the team. They work alongside us, gaining real-world experience while helping us expand what we can offer. It’s a win-win – for patients, for staff and for the future of nursing.

One patient told us, “It doesn’t feel like an appointment. It feels like I belong here.” That’s exactly what we hoped for.

 

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June’s story

I’ll never forget June. She’d been living with chronic wounds for 16 years. At one point, she told us she was ready to have her leg amputated – she just couldn’t see a way forward.

Then June joined the Café and her healing was remarkable. Her leg recovered, her insulin use dropped by 70%, and she rediscovered joy in everyday things like cooking, knitting and planning meals with her family. She said, “Now I see a future. I see myself cooking Christmas dinner.”

That’s what this is really about. The ANCLE Café has shown us what’s possible when we think differently and combine clinical excellence with kindness, education, and innovation. It’s not just treating wounds – it’s restoring hope and transforming lives.

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Alongside the Café, we’ve introduced Healthy.io’s Minuteful for Wound, a smart app that helps us monitor wounds digitally. It’s been a game-changer with over 3,000 assessments completed, 377 infections caught early and 1,550 hours of documentation saved. It’s made our work safer and more efficient, and it’s helping patients heal faster. Technology isn’t replacing care; it’s enhancing it.

We’ve been honoured to receive the John Horder Award for Interprofessional Working, and we’re finalists in the NHS Wales Awards and two RCN Nurse of the Year categories. But honestly, the biggest reward is seeing our patients thrive.

We’re now expanding to a second site in Central Vale and rolling out Healthy.io across all 14 District Nursing teams. Our hope is that this model becomes a blueprint for Wales – rooted in compassion, evidence and person-centred care. As a nurse, that’s the kind of care I always dreamed of delivering.