An apparatus for cleansing wounds in which irrigant fluid from a reservoir (12) connected to a conformable wound dressing (3) and wound exudate from the dres sing are recirculated by a device (18) formoving fluid through a flow path which passes through the dressing and a means (17) for fluid cleansing and back to the dressing. The cleansing means (which may be a single-phase, e.g. microfiltration, system or a two-phase, e.g. dialytic system) removes materials deleterious to wound healing, and the cleansed fluid, still containing mate rials that are beneficial in promoting wound healing, is returned to the wound bed. The dressing and a method of treatment using the apparatus.