Diabetes Advanced Specialist Podiatrist

Job overview

A fantastic opportunity has arisen to join a highly motivated team to co-ordinate care for people with diabetes and their associated foot complications working across acute and community settings.

We are looking for a passionate, motivated and experienced individual who wants to make an impact in a growing service.

We invite you to join a friendly team to provide critical assessments, treatment and care plans for a complex caseload whilst committing to clinical excellence and support safe discharges.

Main duties of the job

Responsibilities include triaging new referrals from inpatients and outpatient settings to provide timely and comprehensive clinical assessments and treatment care plans working  as part of the Multidisciplinary Diabetes Footcare Team (MDFT), co-ordinating inpatient and outpatient care, deliver and further develop a high risk diabetes footcare service,  and attend weekly multidisciplinary ward rounds with the Vascular and Diabetes team.

You will also work closely with Podiatric surgery, Microbiology, Tissue Viability, Patient Appliances, Virtual Hospital, Dietetics, and community nurses.

The successful candidate will at times work autonomously and need to show skills in prioritising urgent cases with good time management. They should have experience in ordering bloods, x-rays and delivering treatments such as VAC and Larvae therapy. There will be training provided if no prior experience in some of these areas.

The role will be based  across both community and acute settings ,our acute hospital is The Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust in Harlow.

We are currently looking at some redesigning of the service and the successful applicant will be able to have input into this work.

The post holder will have the opportunity to deliver training to promote the importance of the ‘high risk diabetic foot’ and play a key role in implementation of improving care for this high risk patient group to other health professionals .

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES CLINICAL

• To work in accordance with the Royal College of Podiatry and Health and Care Professions Council Code of Professional Conduct including scope of professional practice.
• To assess, manage and treat a 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 and 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 use clinical reasoning skill in the assessment, diagnoses and formulating of  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 and eye co-ordination with 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 advance knowledge of dressing and their modes of action and appropriate indications of their use in wound care.
• To have a 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 and high risk foot care within the hospital wards and outpatient clinics 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 providing 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 at not put at risk.
• To undertake specialist high risk work in a range of acute and community settings.
• To undertake nail surgery.
• To ensure effective communication of complex sensitive and emotional information to patients e.g. ulcer care, amputations, Charcot’s and vascular complications.
• To gain informed consent to podiatry assessment and treatments.
• To educate and empower patients regarding their care and provide advice.
• To maintain accurate record keeping in accordance with department, professional and Trusts procedure.
• To be accountable and responsible for own clinical practice.
• To understand Local and National Guidelines in service delivery and development.
• To undertake and promote practice sensitive to the needs of patients and families from multi-cultural backgrounds.
• Contribute to and support the work of colleagues in the multi-disciplinary team.
• Have a working knowledge of the specific disease according to speciality.
• Ensure all medication to be administered is in accordance with the Trust Medicines Management Policy.
• Plan systems of nursing activity, which satisfy agreed standards at Local, Trust, Regional or National levels.
• Take a lead role in meetings at which broad professional and service issues are discussed.
• Demonstrate the mandatory competencies of the Trust, attending all required mandatory updates.
• Actively promote and implement evidence based practice by critically analysing research and to participate in clinical audits within our own practice.
• To participate in departmental audits and governance initiatives and the implementation of standards, guidelines, policies and protocols.

SYSTEMS & EQUIPMENT

• EPR Alex Health and other hospital systems (including radiology images, blood tests etc) plus System one.

DECISIONS & JUDGEMENTS

• The post holder will be required to make judgements and treatment decisions involving highly complex, convoluted facts or situations, requiring analysis, interpretation and comparison of a range of options.
• The post holder will be required to make operational judgements with regard to situations such as referral to other members of the health care team and discussion with Consultants and Surgeons regarding further management of patients with complex needs, in which there may be no consensus of opinion with regard to optimum treatment / management.

COMMUNICATIONS & RELATIONSHIPS

• The post holder will require highly developed counselling and interpersonal skills in order to impact complex and sensitive information; often in circumstances where there may be barriers to acceptance or understanding due to the highly emotive nature of the information being provided.
• The post holder will require comprehensive negotiation skills in order to provide optimum care and treatment for patients undergoing contentious treatments or procedures, which may not be readily accepted by the patient without in depth discussion and arbitration.
• Maximise the involvement of patients and their carers in all relevant decisions about diagnosis care and treatment.
• The post holder will be required to present specialist information relating to areas such as role and service provision, research projects in relation to diabetic foot to large groups of health professionals e.g. during training days, Medical Grand Rounds, ICB meetings and training groups of newly qualified nurses.
• The post holder will be required to utilise a wide range of communication methods including written reports, GP letters, written communication with patients and other members of the multidisciplinary team, electronic communication and electronic computerised presentations. The audience will be diverse and variable, including such disciplines as other health care professionals, patients, support services and outside agencies.

PHYSICAL/PERSONAL DEMANDS OF THE JOB

• On-going requirement to exert moderate physical effort, e.g. examining/manoeuvring patients.
• Assessing patients on a daily basis.
• Frequent interruptions, e.g. pagers, other professionals requiring advice.
• There is frequent need to deal with people with physical, social and psychological problems.
• Occasionally required to impart unwelcome, sensitive and distressing news to patients, relatives and/or staff.
• Frequently dealing with a patient group who have a chronic disease.
• Frequently required to walk around the hospital premises.