Silverchain joined peak bodies and industry partners in Canberra during Wound Awareness Week to advocate for better ways to tackle the country’s hidden chronic wound epidemic and reduce the burden of wounds across Australia – which has an annual cost of more than $6.6 billion.
Silverchain Registered Nurse, award-winning wound care specialist and Wounds Australia Board Director, Dr Robyn Rayner participated in the government-industry roundtable and is delivering a webinar on Saturday 6 September titled Caring for ageing skin (everybody). Dr Rayner is pushing for greater recognition of age-related skin changes and the urgent need for best-practice wound prevention.
Silverchain is one of Australia’s largest providers of community-based wound care, with its nurses treating 23,290 clients and managing more than 54,000 wounds in 2024-25 financial year.
Dr Rayner, who is the Lead Clinician at Silverchain’s Bunbury Wound Clinic, said wounds are often described as a silent epidemic, but their impact on individuals, families and the health system is enormous.
“With more than 450,000 Australians living with a chronic wound, the need for prevention, early treatment and access to evidence-based care has never been greater,” Dr Rayner said.
“Chronic wounds – particularly those that fail to heal and progress to conditions such as venous leg ulcers – can have devastating consequences. However, these wounds can be treatable with the right care from a health professional following best practice and evidence-based treatment.”
Specialist clinicians like Dr Rayner help thousands of Australians every year to manage and prevent wounds by undertaking a comprehensive assessment of the wound, identifying factors that may impact healing and providing best practice wound care.
“Working closely with the client and their families is essential to get the best outcome,” Dr Rayner said. “This partnership helps prevent complications, supports faster healing and ensures people can maintain their independence and quality of life.”
Dr Rayner, who recently won Excellence in Rural and Remote Nursing at the 2025 WA Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Awards, said empowering clients and families to care for their skin was vital.
“As we age, our skin becomes more fragile, making it prone to tears and injuries,” Dr Rayner said.
“Through Silverchain’s wound care programs, we not only treat wounds, we also focus on prevention, sharing simple strategies like daily moisturising, staying hydrated and reducing friction injuries at home. These small changes can make a big difference.”
Dr Rayner’s participation in the Canberra roundtable and the Wounds Australia webinar highlighted Silverchain’s leadership in wound care and its commitment to improving outcomes for Australians, particularly in rural and regional communities.
