Wound Awareness Week 2026 (Monday 28 September to Sunday 4 October) will unite communities around Australia in shining a light on chronic wounds by sounding an SOS: Save Our Skin!

We'll be sharing the simple steps that can help prevent wounds and empower people to recognise them sooner, and finding the practical solutions to Australia's wound care problems. Here's how.

Skin tears under the spotlight

On Tuesday 29 September, Wounds Australia will host clinicians, researchers, industry and patients at Northern Health's Bundoora Centre in a special roundtable on skin tears. 

The discussion will be guided by Wound Awareness Week Ambassador and renowned burns surgeon Professor Fiona Wood AO, exploring how Australia can improve the prevention and management of skin tears – a common and costly type of chronic wound. 

Our thanks to Northern Health for hosting us and to Wounds Australia member and Wound CNC Clara Walker and team for facilitating the event. 

Pictured: A roundtable at Canberra's Parliament House during Wound Awareness Week 2025, opened by Minister for Health, Ageing and Disability Mark Butler MP (not pictured), hosted by Professor Fiona Wood AO (centre, left) and featuring invited guest Louise Miller-Frost MP (centre right), plus clinicians, industry partners, patients and researchers. Read more.

Free online training for consumers launches

Wound Awareness Week will also see the launch of the Be Wound Aware Education Series: free online training designed to give consumers practical, easy-to-understand information about wound care. 

The series is being launched by Assistant Minister for Health Rebecca White MP with Professor Wood at an event in Hobart also attended by Senator the Hon Carol Brown, the series' presenters, Tasmanian clinicians, Wound Awareness Week sponsors, peak bodies and patients. 

The Be Wound Aware Education Series will cover the essentials, including caring for acute wounds at home, recognising the chronic wound warning signs, preventing wounds before they occur, and what every household should keep in a first aid kit. They are presented by expert clinicians and educators Hayley Ryan, Melissa Freeman, Lusi Sheehan and Alix Clarke. You will find a link on the home of Be Wound Aware, woundaware.org, from Wednesday 30 September. 

Thank you to Dr Mark Baldock and the team at GP Collective for hosting us. We will report more on both events soon. 

Pictured: A preview of the Be Wound Aware Education Series.

Lunchtime learning for clinicians

Clinicians can join us daily during Wound Awareness Week for free Lunch Bytes webinars presented by wound care experts from around Australia. This year's sessions will explore oedema, nutrition and wound healing, supporting patient self-care, wound prevention, and protecting periwound skin. 

The short, practical webinars are designed to share knowledge that clinicians can put into practice straight away. Certificates to support CPD applications will be issued to those who attend the live webinars within a month. Recordings of Lunch Bytes stay online indefinitely as part of Wounds Australia's mission to improve healing. 

Morning teas around Australia

Wound Awareness Week morning tea host kits have been making their way to workplaces across the country, helping teams hold their own awareness-raising events. 

We're looking forward to seeing how workplaces mark the week – in particular, the creative baking that Wound Awareness Week always inspires! We'll be sharing photos from hosts around Australia as they come in... just like the one at the top of this story, featuring Pharmacist and Wounds Australia member Lusi Sheehan (second from right) and the team from Pharmacy 777 in Subiaco, WA! And check out these amazing creations below.

Thanks to our generous sponsors

Wounds Australia Platinum Partners Solventum, Mölnlycke and Smith+Nephew have long supported the initiative and we are delighted they continue to do so in 2026. As always, they are sharing free resources designed to improve clinician and consumer knowledge and support wound care improvements, and we encourage you to explore their partner pages. 

Will you support us?

Show your support for 450,000 Australians living with wounds and the clinicians who care for them. There are plenty of ways to help spread the Wound Awareness Week message!

Share our posts and resources on social media, print and display a poster, host a morning tea in your workplace, and encourage patients, families and carers to explore the free consumer information and resources at woundaware.org. Together, we can help more Australians protect their skin, recognise wounds early and get the right care sooner.