Diabetes Specialist Podiatrist

Site: Eastcote Health Centre, Town: Eastcote, HA5 1TG

Salary: £55,524 - £62,652 Per annum including HCAS [pro rata if PT]

Job overview: If you are looking to improve your skills with the management of the “At risk” or “Diabetic foot” alongside a team of Non-medical prescribers, then join the Hillingdon Podiatry team. The Hillingdon Podiatry team has a large high-risk caseload across the borough and is the main provider for the Multidisciplinary Foot team based at Hillingdon Hospital. This role will directly support MDFT referral and work alongside our Diabetes Consultants to protect the “At Risk Foot”. This role supports direct referrals to our local vascular hub for emerging vascular emergencies. If you want to make a difference to the prevention of amputations and foot-related admissions, then this is the role for you!

An opportunity has arisen for a qualified clinician to deliver high-risk podiatric care in the Community Podiatry High Risk Clinics at Hillingdon CNWL (Central North West London) sites, Eastcote, Hesa and Uxbridge Health centres and within the Local Multidisciplinary Foot team based at Hillingdon Hospital. You should be highly organised, working on your own initiative. You should be aware of professional and national guidelines, be up to date with current best practice and be able to demonstrate your interest in continued professional development. You should be able to work on your own and as part of a team demonstrating excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Main duties of the job:

• This post requires a person who is highly specialised and has extensive knowledge, clinical skills and relevant experience in the field of Diabetes, providing comprehensive care for patients with complex high-risk foot problems.
• Providing education to healthcare staff and patients on the management of diabetes and diabetic foot care.
• The person will provide specialist footcare for patients with complex high-risk foot problems, including diabetes patients with acute and chronic foot wounds, active Osteomyelitis and Charcot Foot neuroarthropathy, patients with neuropathic and vascular complications, patients with foot complications who are immunosuppressed and patients who have poor tissue viability.
• The post holder will be clinically responsible for treatment of the high-risk caseload working autonomously as well as working as part of the multidisciplinary team; including in-reach into secondary care with Diabetologists, Vascular and Orthopaedic Surgeons, Microbiology, Radiology, Orthotics and Plaster room team.
• The post requires accepting emergency referrals from GPs, community podiatrists, and other health professionals and will provide responsive specialist care.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities:

• To work in accordance with College of Podiatry and Health and Care Professions Council Code of Professional Conduct including scope of professional practice.
• To assess, manage and treat high-risk complex caseload consisting of patients with acute and chronic diabetic foot problems, pre and post-operative amputation wounds and acute and chronic neuropathic, vascular foot/lower limb problems.
• To lead in the planning of care packages jointly between hospital and community care providers.
• To provide podiatry care including wound care for patients with musculoskeletal conditions.
• To undertake biomechanical assessment, gait analysis and orthotic provision and advice for patients with a range of underlying MSK/biomechanical conditions.
• To use clinical reasoning skills in the assessment, diagnosis and formulating treatment plans of patients with a variety of high-risk foot problems and medical conditions.
• To have the ability to cope with unpredictable work patterns as necessitated in acute wound care clinics.
• To have highly developed physical skills, precision hand/eye coordination which involves highly skilled debridement techniques of acute/chronic, neuropathic and ischaemic wounds, often for prolonged periods.
• Develop and contribute to the care and management of complex wounds and lower limb complications.
• To apply and practice principles of wound management.
• Have advanced knowledge of dressings and their modes of action and appropriate indications of their use in wound care.
• To have a good working knowledge of biomechanics and its role in wound care and basic musculoskeletal problems.
• To recognise the need, undertake and understand the result of investigations such as microbiology, x-ray, and scans and respond appropriately.
• To take the clinical diabetes/high-risk foot specialist role within the multidisciplinary diabetes foot team.
• To promote multidisciplinary team working.
• To provide diabetes/high-risk foot care with the hospital outpatients and wards based on agreed referral criteria and ensuring patients are not put at risk.
• To take direct referrals from GP; community podiatry and community nursing in the hospital setting and provide rapid access and expert clinical advice and intervention based on agreed referral criteria.
• To take internal hospital referrals from consultants/doctors, nurses and accident and emergency based on agreed criteria and ensuring patients are not put at risk.
• To undertake specialist high-risk work in a range of acute and community settings.
• To undertake nail surgery.

Person specification:

• Qualifications: Diploma/BSc (Hons) Podiatry, Certificate for Local Anaesthesia, Registered Member of the HCPC, RCOP Diabetic foot module or equivalent, IRMER.
• Experience: Extensive postgraduate experience in the NHS working with high-risk diabetic feet Podiatry, experience of education of healthcare professionals, wide range of clinical experience including complex wound care, with emphasis on patients with diabetes, experience of multi-disciplinary working, experience of working across primary and secondary care, experience of delivering patient education packages.
• Skills and Knowledge: Extensive knowledge of the effect of diabetes in podiatric care, sound knowledge and experience in wound care including treatment modalities and biomechanics, ability to demonstrate knowledge and skills in pressure offloading in the high-risk foot in the treatment of ulceration and prevention of ulcers in the high-risk foot, demonstrates current clinical knowledge regarding evidence base and best practices, ability and knowledge of appropriate investigations required in the treatment of the high-risk foot, ability and experience of foot health education/promotion of the high-risk foot, knowledge of national policy relating to the diabetic foot, effective organisational skills, knowledge of the issues involved with a diverse population.
• Key Skills and Abilities: Excellent communication, IT, negotiation and interpersonal skills, ability to prioritise & plan own workload to meet deadlines & competing demands; demonstrating flexibility, involvement in regular audit or R&D.
• Other: Must be able to undertake domiciliary work and travel between clinics in the Hillingdon area in line with the normal duties of the post (car driver/owner).

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.