Community-acquired pressure injuries

People’s lived experience, and the knowledge held by whānau and aiga, is as valuable as healthcare expertise.

We use a co‑design approach. This means we work in genuine partnership with Māori and Pacific peoples, consumers, whānau, aiga, carers, health professionals, community leaders, elders, iwi, and local representatives.

By listening first, we learn what matters most to communities. Together, we identify what needs to change, design practical and culturally grounded solutions, and test them to make sure they support wellbeing at home.

A project working group guides and supports this work. The group includes Māori and Pacific consumers, health professionals, home and community care providers, community leaders, cultural advisors, and Commission staff.

By working together, we bring health knowledge, cultural understanding, quality improvement skills, and lived experience. This shared approach helps create practical, culturally safe solutions that reflect what matters most to people and support whānau and aiga in everyday life.

The project has two main workstreams.

Community focused workstream

This workstream supports people living at home, alongside their whānau, aiga, and other carers, to:

• prevent pressure injuries
• recognise pressure injuries early
• provide timely care at home

What we are doing 

We are talking with Māori and Pacific consumers, and their whānau and aiga, using a collaborative approach to understand people’s lived experiences.

By starting with what matters most to communities, we build on existing strengths, knowledge, and care practices to support culturally safe pressure injury prevention and care at home and in the community.

Health professional workstream

Community‑based health professionals completed a survey in December 2025 to share their experiences of pressure injury prevention and care in home and community settings. Their insights highlighted what is working well, as well as gaps and opportunities to better support people at home.

This workstream focuses on making it easier for community‑based health professionals to find, understand, and use pressure injury information, tools, and guidance. The aim is to support consistent, practical, and culturally responsive care across home and community settings.

What we are doing 

Based on what we have learned, we are:

• reviewing existing pressure injury resources with subject matter experts to agree on the most useful, evidence‑based information
• create a simple, easy‑to‑use place where community health professionals can find trusted pressure injury guidance and tools in one place.

This approach builds on existing good practice and supports health professionals to provide high‑quality care that works well for people, whānau, and aiga at home.