Hello to you all and welcome to the new issue of Wounds UK, the first with me at the helm as editor. I’m thrilled to be working on such a prestigious title with such a wonderful editorial board to help pitch in with reviews, ideas and articles.

It is my intention to continue the great work of my predecessors Jason Beckford-Ball (who hired me), Edda Hendry and Rachel Webb — yes, I really have been here long enough to have worked alongside them all — keeping the emphasis firmly on articles that are relevant to clinical practice, at the same time encouraging the thought-provoking and the novel. 

My new role is Head of Editorial for the Wounds Group here at OmniaMed sees the full complement of five wound care journals under my patronage — as well as Wounds UK, there are Wounds International, the Journal of Lymphoedema, the Diabetic Foot Journal and Wounds APAC. These titles symbolise the wealth of diversity you, as clinicians working in wound care, encounter on a daily basis and it is something I am constantly in awe of.

Change can be characterised by revolution or evolution and I see little need for the former and hope to foster a culture centring around the latter. You will have noticed that our designer Tommy Morse created a beautiful new set of templates, including a new-style cover, which we hope you agree gives the journal an overdue makeover. 

As I strongly believe in creating something for the many and not the few, if you feel there is an area that is being neglected in these pages, or if a topic is crying out for some coverage, then please, by all means, get in touch with me at [email protected]; we welcome established and first-time writers alike. Together we can continue to hit the high standards of the past, while confidently looking ahead to the future.

Happy retirement Mrs Calne

Suzie Calne is something of a phenomenon in wound care circles and a true force of nature. She is not only one of the most capable colleagues I’ve ever worked with but she is also the kindest, most empathetic soul one could ever wish to meet and it’s been a privilege learning from her over more than a decade. She retires just as the June issue of Wounds UK lands on doorsteps for those that don’t know and is one of the few people who have been at OmniaMed as long as I have, undertaking her role as Clinical Manager extraordinaire with generosity, skill and knowledge. 

I’m sure many of you will know and love Suzie given her enduring popularity in wound care circles. Suzie once wrote an editorial for our sister journal Wounds International while editor that likened the world of wounds as a circuit and as she gets off, I find myself strapped in and waiting to go around once more. I won’t be the only one indebted to Suzie for her warmth, humour and energy, and as she sips her frozen margarita on the beach, she can look back on her career with immense pride.

I hope to continue filling the pages of Wounds UK with articles she approves of and, one day, I might beat her record of attending 30 (THIRTY!) Wounds UK annual conferences. That’s one daunting circuit. 

Anyway, I guess I’ve come a long way from that 20-something who fell asleep in his first meeting at the old office at Hatfields in central London, due to being kept awake all night by an errant mouse in my bedroom at my old flat, and had to be let off work early on my first day to buy an ultrasonic pest repeller and get some much-needed sleep …

Until next time.