Ozcare has received State Government funding to establish the exciting new concept of a “Leg Club” for the Darling Downs which will be run in partnership with other health service providers in the area and the CWA.

Ozcare’s Toowoomba Clinical Nurse Manager Gay Skuse said that the “Leg Club” will be based in the CWA Rooms in Toowoomba and it is a new collaborative approach to help those suffering from leg ulcers.

“Leg Clubs aim to provide people with the opportunity to manage leg ulcers in a social environment where they are treated as a group with an emphasis on peer support and empathy, and where positive attitudes to health are promoted.

”The concept was developed in the United Kingdom and has won multiple awards in the UK.

“It is a cost-effective health care model which promotes a holistic approach to the problem of leg ulcers, where people are encouraged and empowered to be stakeholders in their own treatment.

“Leg Clubs are not 'owned' by the health care provider but by the local community - they are community-based and held on a drop-in basis in a non-medical setting.

“Research has shown that the benefits include better healing and reduction in recurrence rates, with the social interaction helping isolated older people integrate into their communities – an overall improvement in the patient’s quality of life.

“We can envisage that the establishment of a ‘Leg Club’ in Toowoomba will be of great benefit to people in the whole region,” Ms. Skuse said.

Ozcare received Queensland Health funding for a total amount of around $90,000 over the next 3 years, to establish the clinic and provide transport where necessary to enable people to attend the meetings.

There are currently 14 Leg Clubs in the UK and 2 in Queensland, with others being planned.

The Downs ‘Leg Club’ is expected to begin in late March and or further information Contact Gay Skuse at Ozcare Phone 4639 7888.