An apparatus for cleansing wounds in which irrigant fluid from a reservoir connected to a conformable wound dressing and wound exudate from the dressing are moved by a device (which may be a single pump or two pumps) for moving fluid through a flow path which passes through the dressing and over a biodegradable scaffold in contact with the wound bed (which encourages healing tissue growth from the wound bed). The apparatus has means (which includes the device(s)) for providing simultaneous aspiration and irrigation of the wound. A dressing assembly including the dressing and the scaffold, and the dressing and a method of treatment using the apparatus.