A wound dressing has a wound-contacting surface 22 of compressed polyurethane foam having a density of greater than 60 kg/m3 and an absorption layer 23, which may be of uncompressed, lower density, polyurethane foam. One or both layers contain an antimicrobial and they may be bonded together by an acrylic adhesive. The dressing may also have a layer 25 of superabsorbent material, such as a polyacrylate non-woven, and/or a semi-permeable backing layer 24 which prevents the passage of bacteria and may be a polyurethane film. A skin contact adhesive (35, figure 4) may be attached to at least a portion of the wound-contacting surface, preferably a silicone adhesive bonded to a polyurethane film carrier layer. Also claimed is a method of manufacturing the dressing by compressing a wound contact layer, adhering it to an absorption layer, and applying at least one antimicrobial agent such as chlorhexidine gluconate or chitosan. The concentration of antimicrobial may be greater in the wound-contacting layer, which can have an absorbency of more than 20g/g.
