Podiatry Operational Lead in Bristol

This role is eligible for our Relocation package.

Looking for your next leadership step in Podiatry? We have the perfect opportunity. We’re seeking a motivated Band 7 Podiatrist with a passion for leadership, service improvement, and clinical education to join us as our Operational Lead. This is a pivotal role where you’ll work closely with the Service Clinical and Operational Lead (CLOP) in delivering high-quality, patient‑centred care by monitoring performance against key indicators, analysing capacity and demand, and driving service improvements to enhance outcomes and patient experience. You’ll bring your specialist expertise in high‑risk foot management, working across complex clinical and domiciliary caseloads. A key part of the role includes contributing to MDT diabetes foot clinics within secondary care, collaborating closely with diabetes and vascular teams. Collaboration is at the heart of this role. You’ll work alongside clinical leads, providing specialist advice to stakeholders and play a central role in developing education, training, competency frameworks, and clinical governance. You will also support supervision and professional development across the workforce. If you’re a clinician with strong leadership skills to shape service delivery and make a meaningful impact across Bristol, North Somerset & South Gloucestershire, we would love to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

• You will provide strong operational and clinical leadership within the Podiatry Service, supporting the Podiatry CLOP to deliver safe, effective, and high-quality care.
• You will lead on service performance, including monitoring KPIs, analysing capacity and demand, and driving continuous service improvement to enhance patient outcomes and experience.
• You will maintain a complex clinical caseload, providing specialist assessment and management of high‑risk foot conditions across clinic and domiciliary settings.
• You will contribute to multidisciplinary working, including diabetes foot clinics, supporting coordinated, patient‑centred care.
• The role includes line management of staff, workforce planning, recruitment, and performance management, ensuring effective deployment of resources and equitable service delivery.
• You will oversee day‑to‑day operations, including clinic capacity, rota coordination, and estate issues, proactively resolving challenges and escalating risks as required.
• You will lead on clinical governance, including audit, quality improvement, and incident management, embedding learning into practice.
• As a visible clinical leader, you will provide supervision, mentorship, and education to develop workforce capability and promote evidence‑based practice.
• Working collaboratively across BNSSG, you will implement service developments and organisational change, ensuring a consistent and responsive podiatry service.

Benefits and working for our organisation

• Agenda for Change Salary, full NHS benefits, 27+ days annual leave, and participation in the NHS Pension Scheme.
• We welcome and encourage all applicants. We are committed to having a workforce that reflects the communities we support and are proactively seeking to improve the diversity of our workforce.
• We know diversity fosters creativity and innovation. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where all belong.
• We aim to draw upon the widest possible range of views and experiences to meet the changing needs of our colleagues, partners and communities we serve.
• Whether you're starting your journey in healthcare, looking for a fresh challenge within the NHS, or contemplating a career change, we create development opportunities for all our colleagues and apprentices.

Contact: Samantha Draper, Clinical and Operational Lead for Podiatry – samantha.draper@nhs.net

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

This post is eligible for our Relocation package - for more information please reach out to sirona.recruitment@nhs.net. Please see the attached Job Description for a full list of duties and responsibilities before applying for this position. If you refer to qualifications or employment within your supporting statement, that has not been included in your Qualifications, Training or Employment History, this information may be discounted.

Person specification

Education/Qualifications

• Degree in Podiatric Medicine
• Certificate of local anaesthesia
• Post graduate training at Masters level or equivalent in diabetes foot care, wound care, high risk foot or minor surgery
• Non-medical prescriber or willingness to undertake qualification

Experience, skills and knowledge

• Highly specialised clinical reasoning skills
• Evidence of managing risk in unpredictable, uncertain situations to uphold patient safety
• Specialised clinical skills and theoretical knowledge within full range of podiatric practice
• Highly developed specialist knowledge and experience in regard to the diabetic and high risk foot
• Evidence of teaching, supervising and mentoring across a range of clinicians
• Evidence of leadership behaviours including autonomous practice, self-reflection, promotion of cultural change
• Experience of working as a clinical supervisor, designing, developing and delivering programmes of learning in line with evidence based practice to peers and junior staff members
• Evidence of operational management - i.e. capacity and demand modelling, diary management, staff leave etc.
• Evidence of representing podiatry service in meetings, deputising for podiatry senior leadership
• Experience of leadership/ operational management

You must have appropriate UK professional registration. This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.