In February 2011, a multidisciplinary group of clinicians and researchers met at the Wounds International conference in Cape Town, South Africa, ahead of a consensus meeting in Brussels in May 2011. The aim of the meeting was to explore patient wellbeing in relation to wound management. Several themes were discussed and are presented in this article. The key points raised will form the starting point of the consensus meeting which will aim to provide three key stake holders — clinicians, healthcare organisations and industry — with a framework to ensure that patient wellbeing is optimised when delivering effective wound management.