Imagine giving patients the confidence and tools to take greater control of their venous leg ulcer care.

L&R wanted to help start a self-care movement, empowering appropriate patients to manage more of their own treatment while reducing pressure on nurses and healthcare systems.

The opportunity was significant. Interviews with nurses suggested that around 20% of patients with venous leg ulcers could potentially self-care without support. And among those patients, around 85% were keen to do so, motivated by the independence, freedom and sense of control it could give them.

The challenge was to turn that willingness into action.

We created simple, practical tools designed to give patients the knowledge and confidence to play a more active role in managing their condition, while giving healthcare professionals the resources to support them.

By making self-care feel achievable, we could help patients regain some of the independence that living with a venous leg ulcer can take away, while freeing nursing time for people with more complex needs.

And the response was immediate.

Within just two weeks of launch, the Healthy Living Booklet had been downloaded 4,837 times, while 1,003 healthcare professionals requested additional resources, exceeding the target of 893.

A simple shift in who takes control of care created the potential for a much bigger change: more empowered patients, more efficient use of nursing time and a better way to live with venous leg ulcers.