The Complex Wound Management Clinic provides specialist assessment, diagnosis, management and support to patients with complex, reoccurring and non-healing wounds.
This service is provided by a team of health professionals who work together to help people with difficult wounds. The team includes:
- A Geriatrician (a doctor who cares for older people)
- A Dermatologist (a skin specialist)
- A Wound Nurse Consultant
- A Dietician (a food and nutrition expert)
The team looks at your wound, finds out what’s causing it, and helps you manage it so it can heal.
Conditions seen
Barwon Health offers a complex wound management service for people who have:
- Have been discharged from hospital with a complex wound and need early support.
- Have a wound that hasn’t healed after 28 days, even with regular care.
- Have a wound that is slow to improve or is complicated.
Conditions not seen
The complex wound management service does not accept referrals for the following:
- Wounds below the ankle
- Diabetic foot wounds
- Surgical wounds that are less than 28 days old
- Lymphoedema (swelling) on its own
- Wounds that need surgery
- Wounds with serious infection (cellulitis) that need urgent care from your GP or the Emergency Department
How do I access this service
To be seen in this clinic you need to be referred by your GP, another specialist doctor or your Barwon Health doctor.
We’re not able to book you into the clinic without a referral. If you think you need help with a complex wound, please speak to your doctor about getting a referral.
Wait time
All requests for specialist clinic appointments are scheduled according to the patient’s clinical need. Clinicians assess whether an appointment is urgent or routine, based on information provided in the referral.
Barwon Health aims to see all ‘urgent’ referrals within 30 days. Our wait times for patients who are categorised as ‘routine’ are more variable, depending on the demand for our services.
The Victorian Agency for Health Information also publishes information about the waiting time for routine first appointments.
Routine first appointments | Victorian Agency for Health Information
No Wait times to show
For Health Professionals
State-referral criteria may apply for conditions under this specialty requiring further assessment and management. Referring clinicians are encouraged to utilise Western Victoria Community HealthPathways for referral guidelines and requirements for all conditions.
Complete the specialist clinics referral template and send via:
- ReferralNet
- Email: [email protected]
- Fax: 03 4215 6376 (McKellar Community Rehabilitation Centre)
Referral templates for Barwon Health services are available for importing into Best Practice, Medical Director or ZedMed. Please see the Referral templates page for the most up-to-date forms.
If you do not use the above clinical software, please complete a referral letter on your practice/health service letterhead, ensuring all required referral information is included.
If you need to contact us regarding the templates, please contact the GP Liaison Unit on 03 4215 8845 or [email protected].
For patients who require reassessment, a new referral should be sent through. To facilitate earlier access, the new referral must contain the following information:
- State the referral is an update for a current patient
- Date of original referral
- Reason for requesting a review of referral (e.g. deterioration in clinical condition, pathology)
The referrer will be notified of the outcome of the re-triage process.
GPs or referring doctors wishing to discuss the triage of their patient’s referral, or who require additional information, please ring the Community Rehabilitation on 03 4215 5301.
Page last updated: September 9, 2025