Diabetic Specialist Podiatrist with managerial responsibility

This is an exciting opportunity to provide clinical expertise in the treatment of diabetic foot and other high risk foot pathologies and in the education and supervision of less experienced members of the Podiatry team. To develop and deliver a high quality seamless diabetic and wound care foot service within the community, working with the other senior B7 leads to embed excellent care and to provide managerial support to the Head of Podiatry.

The department is part of North Mid in the Community serving the borough of Enfield and as part of North Central London health family it has close working ties with the diabetic MDTs at North Middlesex University Hospital and the Royal Free Hospitals Pond Street and Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals.

Main duties of the job:

• To be responsible for the podiatric assessment, diagnosis, delivery, and evaluation of care plans using a variety of appropriate treatment methods for high risk and at-risk patient categories.
• To hold responsibility for own caseload working as an autonomous clinical expert within diabetes/other high risk foot pathologies.
• Triage referrals as required monitoring waiting lists, prioritising and redirecting patients according to medical and podiatric need.
• To undertake evidence-based audit and or project/research to further own and team's clinical practice, and where appropriate make recommendations to the manager to improve service delivery for diabetic/high risk patients.
• To ensure effective communication of complex and highly sensitive and emotional information to patients, this requires excellent interpersonal and counselling skills.
• To deliver diabetic health education to users.
• To take the lead on wound care within the department.
• To undertake line management duties such as recruitment, health roster, service delivery reviews to support the head of Podiatry, acting in some circumstances as deputy.

Job responsibilities:

• To be responsible for the clinical provision of diabetic/high risk foot care.
• To undertake tailored care packages dependent on patients complex needs.
• To use advanced clinical reasoning skills and appropriate assessment techniques to provide an accurate clinical diagnosis of their condition.
• Formulate and deliver individual treatment plans based on a sound knowledge of evidence-based practice and utilize extended skills such as offloading and performing ABPis/toe pressures as necessary.
• To evaluate and review agreed patient treatment outcomes to facilitate patients engagement/self-care/onward referral.
• To work in close collaboration with the community foot protection team including the Diabetic Specialist Nurse, Tissue Viability Specialist and DNs to ensure a holistic approach to the management of the at-risk and high risk patient.
• To take a proactive role in the planning and delivery of Health Promotion and Health Education to users and health care professionals (HCP).
• To understand offloading the high-risk foot and prescribe, modify, and fit off the shelf orthoses/insoles as required.
• To liaise with extended care network including orthopaedics, and surgical appliances to ensure that the patients rehabilitation needs are met.
• Assess patient understanding of treatment proposals, gain valid informed consent, and have the capacity to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.
• To work within Trust clinical guidelines, national and professional body guidelines and standards, thus, to have a good working knowledge of national and local standards and monitor own and others quality of practice as appropriate.
• To be responsible for maintaining accurate comprehensive patient treatment records in line with recognised professional standards of practice (i.e. Royal College of Podiatrists) and RFL policies.
• To record patient appointment outcomes on Rio within 24 hours.
• To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work, including the management of patients in your care.
• Where appropriate, to supervise and provide mentoring to other podiatrists and foot care assistants.
• To be responsible for the maintenance and security of stock in own work area.
• To manage and develop in-house diabetic/high risk training events, and to participate in and attend staff and therapy team meetings.
• To refer patients on as necessary to other healthcare professionals to ensure appropriate care is provided and to follow Trust referral timelines.

Person Specification:

Education and professional qualifications:

• Degree in Podiatry with LA certificate and POMHCPC Registered
• Completion of diabetic post-graduate programmes

Experience:

• Broad based post graduate NHS experience with significant component in diabetic outpatients
• Experience in advanced neurovascular, and gait assessment and orthotic provision
• Experience of working as part of a team and of supervising staff

Skills and aptitudes:

• Ability to prioritise and organise a case load, and work in a busy environment
• Ability to keep accurate and legible patient notes
• Ability to demonstrate clinical reasoning skills to facilitate diagnosis and the development of treatment plans, underpinned by understanding clinical governance in relation to podiatric care.