While there are policy and government forces for positive change within the NHS, there are concerns regarding the national NHS workforce crisis (The Health Foundation, Kings Fund and The Nuffield Trust, 2018). The number of community nurses has fallen by 14% since 2009, with District Nurses falling even further at 45%. Staff recruitment and retention is a national and local priority (Health Education England, 2017), especially for community nursing. By partnering with wound care companies, two pilots to upskill staff in wound care were conducted to support improved wound management for community patients. Project 1, to up-skill Band 4 Healthcare Assistants (HCAs), and Project 2, to establish tissue viability (TV)- specific Band 6 roles at Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust. This article focuses on Project 1, a subsequent article will detail the method and outcomes of Project 2.