Diabetes Advanced Specialist Podiatrist

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 09 May 2025

Job summary

A fantastic opportunity has arisen to join a highly motivated multi disciplinary footcare team to co-ordinate care for people with diabetes and their associated foot complications.

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

The post holder would have shared responsibility to deliver the diabetes high risk foot care service with one other band 7 Diabetes Advanced Specialist Podiatrist.

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 to deliver and further develop a high risk diabetes footcare service.

The successful candidate will work autonomously and as part of a team and will need skills in prioritising urgent cases with good time management. They should have experience in ordering bloods, x-rays and delivering advanced treatments.

Additional tasks include, organising ward rounds, prioritising daily referrals, collecting service data and participating in relevant audits to continuously improve patient care.

The role will be based in The Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust alongside the diabetes team with weekly MDFT ward rounds and outpatient MDFT clinics.

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 and patients through in house training across West Essex.

Please see attached job description and person specification documents for full details.

About us

EPUT are looking for motivated staff who shares our Trust values of Care, Learn and Empower. In return, EPUT can offer you a range of benefits and development including;

Season Ticket Loans
NHS discounts for staff
Excellent Training facilities and opportunities
Buying and Selling annual leave scheme
The opportunity to work bank shifts and expand knowledge and experience in other areas
Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work
Day One Flexible Employer

The Trust supports and actively encourages flexible working for all employees. We offer many options and you are encouraged to ask the recruiting manager what is possible for this role. If appointed, you will have the opportunity to apply for a flexible working request from the first day of your employment

Join our Staff bank

What is Staff Bank?

Our EPUT NHS staff bank is an entity managed by the trust that hires clinical and non-clinical healthcare professionals to take on shifts at our trust hospitals and community settings. Here at EPUT we maintain our own bank of specialist staff to ensure that we are able offer safe and effective care at all times.

All our permanent staff are automatically enrolled onto the staff bank however this does not mean you have to work any additional shifts, but the option is there for you if you wish.

If you are joining our Trust in a fixed term role, please indicate on your New Starter Paperwork that you wish to join our staff bank

Date posted

25 April 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£46,148 to £52,809 a year £46,148 - £52,809 per annum plus HCA allowance

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time, Job share, Flexible working, Compressed hours

Reference number

364-A-8921

Job locations

Princess Alexandra Hospital and Associated Outpatient Clinics

Harlow

CM20 1QX

Job description

Job 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, Charcots 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 patents, taking bloods, giving intravenous drugs.

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.

Have to deal with body fluids, eg taking blood and other samples specific to the role. Frequently required to walk around the hospital premises.

Respond to bleep and pagers.