Job summary
Are you a podiatrist with experience of high-risk diabetic foot care looking to directly work alongside the multidisciplinary foot care team in secondary care? Barts Health is establishing its new high-risk inpatient and outpatient podiatric care service, based on a successful 18 month pilot programme funded from Sustainability and Transformation Funds. We are looking for an experienced high risk diabetic foot podiatrist who wishes to develop specialist multidisciplinary working at the Royal London Hospital in east London as an integral part of the department of vascular surgery, with the opportunity to develop and practice specialist vascular assessment and management.
This post is a full-time permanent position.
Main duties of the job
Please refer to the attached Job Description & Personal Specification for full details.
You will work closely with an extended inpatient multidisciplinary foot care team including diabetologists, vascular surgeons, vascular scientists, interventional and musculoskeletal radiologists, microbiologists, foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeons, plastic surgeons and inpatient tissue viability nurses.
You will triage, assess and manage inpatients at Royal London Hospital and St Bartholomew's Hospital often as the first point of referral from all medical specialties.
You will work seamlessly with the community podiatry teams of our 5 boroughs - Tower Hamlets, Newham, Waltham Forest, Redbridge and Hackney - to move patients as required between the high risk inpatient service and community services.
You will provide foot health training to patients, medical and other health care professionals (including GPs and community podiatrists).
About us
Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain's leading healthcare providers.
The Barts Health group of NHS hospitals is entering an exciting new era on our improvement journey to becoming an outstanding organisation with a world-class clinical reputation. Having lifted ourselves out of special measures, we now have the impetus and breathing space to chart a fresh course in which we are continually striving to improve all our services for patients.
Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.
We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Managerial
- To understand and contribute to the development of service performance targets and promote equity of access for all adult patients in both this secondary care service and the patients local foot health services as appropriate.
- Develop standard operating procedures for high-risk inpatient and clinical settings within podiatry.
- Understand and collect Key Performance Indicators for the service.
- Liaise with professional colleagues and clinical lead to plan service cover arrangements during annual leave in line with the business continuity plan for the service.
- To take responsibility for monitoring stock levels for the care pathway ensuring security of stock and maintenance of equipment at respective sites.
- Identify cost efficiencies in care pathway, ensuring the annual budget for products and consumables is managed appropriately.
Leadership
- To commit to the continual development of an effective podiatry diabetes Foot Protection Team facilitating productive MDT working relationships throughout the Trust
- To co-ordinate care for inpatients with foot disease, ensuring appropriate care pathways are in place following discharge into the community / liaising with the community team as appropriate
- To actively engage and support the implementation of changes that may be required in the diabetic and vascular MDT
- To actively promote integrated health professional working
- To facilitate the maintenance of a positive and supportive team culture
- To take an active interest in working parties and groups within the Trust to develop and improve on service delivery, protocols, and guidelines
- To advise and share current knowledge of best practice, within the diabetic and vascular MDT and externally as necessary
- To act as a role model / mentor to new members of staff, podiatrists on rotation/shadowing and podiatry students
- Make recommendations to the clinical lead regarding evidence-based practice and service development in relation to local and national guidance including National Service Frameworks (NSF), NICE guidance, HCPC standards of proficiency & RCPod Strategy
Clinical Skills
- The post holder will act as a lead clinical specialist for podiatry and wound care in the hospital setting, working as a key member of the diabetic and vascular MDT.
- Will have autonomous responsibility for the advanced podiatric specialist assessment of patients including those with multiple pathologies using clinical reasoning skills and diagnostic techniques. This will include patients who have acute limb threatening conditions requiring urgent admission / intervention due to limb threatening conditions
- Will develop tailored packages dependent on patient need, utilising extensive skills such as referring for diagnostic tests, offloading and subsequent application of any air cast boot systems and total contact casting
- Will have highly developed physical skills, using a scalpel to debride a variety of lesions, demonstrating precision hand/eye co-ordination for prolonged periods and ability to take tissue samples
- Will use and further develop specialised diagnostic equipment in vascular and neurological assessment, e.g., Doppler, toe pressures, 10g monofilamen
- Will work safely within clinical infection guidelines when treating foot lesions which may involve exposure to bodily fluids and infectious materials
- Will have capability to position and handle patients who may be immobile, wheelchair or bed bound often working in difficult conditions which are at times confined in terms of space, with poor lighting/ventilation, to conduct the treatment
- Will identify when patients require the intervention of other professionals e.g., requesting the prescription of antibiotics, taking tissue samples for microbiology and requesting x-rays and blood tests
- Will monitor new referrals to the service communicating with the referrer if necessary
- Will submit data for all diabetic patients to the National Diabetic Foot Audit
Responsibilities
- To follow the HCPC Standards of Proficiency, Standards of Conduct Performance & Ethics and Standards of Continuing Professional Development.
- To comply with relevant Trust and Departmental policies.
- To be flexible and provide cover for other podiatrists at short notice or during periods of absence as appropriate.
- To report incidents, accidents, complaints, defects in drugs/equipment, near misses or SIs following trust procedures.
- To be responsible for compliance with H&S legislation including COSHH, risk assessment, infection control and sharps policies.
- To handle and dispose of contaminated materials appropriately.
- Using appropriate PPE and adhering to cross infection guidelines to minimise exposure to needle stick/sharps injury or infected body fluids as every patient poses an unknown risk e.g. HIV/Hep B positive.
- To participate in research audit activities and contribute to service developments
Computer/Administration
- To be computer literate and utilise the powerful documentation and coding facilities built in to the Trust Electronic Healthcare Record, maintaining confidentiality at all times.
- Use IT skills including Internet, Email and Office tools such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint
- Working in partnership to plan and develop a centralised dashboard for the NEL STP Diabetes Foot Networ
Communication
Internal
- To work in partnership with colleagues in the diabetic and vascular MDT podiatry team sharing best practic
- To be able to effectively communicate with colleagues, peers, senior managers and clinical leads within the Trust
- To be able to communicate complex patient related information facilitating positive outcomes and ensuring collaborative working
- Obtain and communicate in sensitive manner diagnostic information, gaining patient consent to, patient understanding of, and patient compliance and participation with, treatment programmes
- To provide effective feedback to referrers to the service by letter and or verbal communication ensuring treatment plans are understood by the referrer and supported by the wider health network
- To provide an appropriate service to the diverse local population, taking into account language and cultural differences. This includes the capture of ethnicity data
- Most patients will present with complex conditions or multiple pathologies. Many also have emotional, physical, and psychological conditions, e.g., Deafness, depression, Alzheimers, learning difficulties. These stand in the way of easy understanding and require the expert use of verbal and nonverbal communication tools including the use of interpreting services if necessary.
- To disseminate relevant knowledge acquired via continued professional development to ensure other members of the Podiatry Team within the diabetic and vascular MDT are aware of current best practice
- To ensure that all information relating to patients and staff gained through employment with the Trust is kept confidential
External
- To work effectively as a member of the diabetic and vascular MDT , ensuring effective communication with other professionals in the necessary delivery of all aspects of patient care.
- To employ good interpersonal skills when liaising with consultants/junior doctors/GPs/other health professionals and members of the public.
- Produce and present Health Education and promotional information to the public and specialist material/training to other Health Professionals. To develop specialist training packages to meet the needs of the local population, for both patients and Health Professionals considering the diverse population needs.
- Provide accurate information to patients and their family as well as professional carers regarding the development of foot disease
- Liaison with other Health Professionals to produce consistent care protocols across districts and disciplines.
- Working in conjunction with service leads to provide information for NEL STP Diabetes Network Team meetings
Training
- To plan and facilitate effective podiatry rotations/shadowing, podiatry student placements within the service organisation, providing effective education, facilitating their development, and promoting high standards of care
- To ensure own continued professional development and support a culture of lifelong learning in self and others
- To attend and input into the diabetic and vascular MDT and monthly vascular departmental audit and governance meetings
- To attend and complete all mandatory training within the required timeframes.
- To undertake a regular appraisal, developing a personal development plan that includes clinical competencies reflecting the health needs of the local population and relates to Trust strategy
- To have access to clinical supervision
- To support new staff and their integration within the team
- To support training as part of the role including changes to professional development and implementation of new policies and guidelines
- To provide evidence of continued specialist study and training or experience at an MSc level or equivalent
- To maintain up-to-date knowledge of developments within the profession and of relevant clinical issues and treatment
- To undertake relevant Continued Professional Development and to maintain CPD portfolio, in line with departmental objectives and personal development plan.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Managerial
- To understand and contribute to the development of service performance targets and promote equity of access for all adult patients in both this secondary care service and the patients local foot health services as appropriate.
- Develop standard operating procedures for high-risk inpatient and clinical settings within podiatry.
- Understand and collect Key Performance Indicators for the service.
- Liaise with professional colleagues and clinical lead to plan service cover arrangements during annual leave in line with the business continuity plan for the service.
- To take responsibility for monitoring stock levels for the care pathway ensuring security of stock and maintenance of equipment at respective sites.
- Identify cost efficiencies in care pathway, ensuring the annual budget for products and consumables is managed appropriately.
Leadership
- To commit to the continual development of an effective podiatry diabetes Foot Protection Team facilitating productive MDT working relationships throughout the Trust
- To co-ordinate care for inpatients with foot disease, ensuring appropriate care pathways are in place following discharge into the community / liaising with the community team as appropriate
- To actively engage and support the implementation of changes that may be required in the diabetic and vascular MDT
- To actively promote integrated health professional working
- To facilitate the maintenance of a positive and supportive team culture
- To take an active interest in working parties and groups within the Trust to develop and improve on service delivery, protocols, and guidelines
- To advise and share current knowledge of best practice, within the diabetic and vascular MDT and externally as necessary
- To act as a role model / mentor to new members of staff, podiatrists on rotation/shadowing and podiatry students
- Make recommendations to the clinical lead regarding evidence-based practice and service development in relation to local and national guidance including National Service Frameworks (NSF), NICE guidance, HCPC standards of proficiency & RCPod Strategy
Clinical Skills
- The post holder will act as a lead clinical specialist for podiatry and wound care in the hospital setting, working as a key member of the diabetic and vascular MDT.
- Will have autonomous responsibility for the advanced podiatric specialist assessment of patients including those with multiple pathologies using clinical reasoning skills and diagnostic techniques. This will include patients who have acute limb threatening conditions requiring urgent admission / intervention due to limb threatening conditions
- Will develop tailored packages dependent on patient need, utilising extensive skills such as referring for diagnostic tests, offloading and subsequent application of any air cast boot systems and total contact casting
- Will have highly developed physical skills, using a scalpel to debride a variety of lesions, demonstrating precision hand/eye co-ordination for prolonged periods and ability to take tissue samples
- Will use and further develop specialised diagnostic equipment in vascular and neurological assessment, e.g., Doppler, toe pressures, 10g monofilamen
- Will work safely within clinical infection guidelines when treating foot lesions which may involve exposure to bodily fluids and infectious materials
- Will have capability to position and handle patients who may be immobile, wheelchair or bed bound often working in difficult conditions which are at times confined in terms of space, with poor lighting/ventilation, to conduct the treatment
- Will identify when patients require the intervention of other professionals e.g., requesting the prescription of antibiotics, taking tissue samples for microbiology and requesting x-rays and blood tests
- Will monitor new referrals to the service communicating with the referrer if necessary
- Will submit data for all diabetic patients to the National Diabetic Foot Audit
Responsibilities
- To follow the HCPC Standards of Proficiency, Standards of Conduct Performance & Ethics and Standards of Continuing Professional Development.
- To comply with relevant Trust and Departmental policies.
- To be flexible and provide cover for other podiatrists at short notice or during periods of absence as appropriate.
- To report incidents, accidents, complaints, defects in drugs/equipment, near misses or SIs following trust procedures.
- To be responsible for compliance with H&S legislation including COSHH, risk assessment, infection control and sharps policies.
- To handle and dispose of contaminated materials appropriately.
- Using appropriate PPE and adhering to cross infection guidelines to minimise exposure to needle stick/sharps injury or infected body fluids as every patient poses an unknown risk e.g. HIV/Hep B positive.
- To participate in research audit activities and contribute to service developments
Computer/Administration
- To be computer literate and utilise the powerful documentation and coding facilities built in to the Trust Electronic Healthcare Record, maintaining confidentiality at all times.
- Use IT skills including Internet, Email and Office tools such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint
- Working in partnership to plan and develop a centralised dashboard for the NEL STP Diabetes Foot Networ
Communication
Internal
- To work in partnership with colleagues in the diabetic and vascular MDT podiatry team sharing best practic
- To be able to effectively communicate with colleagues, peers, senior managers and clinical leads within the Trust
- To be able to communicate complex patient related information facilitating positive outcomes and ensuring collaborative working
- Obtain and communicate in sensitive manner diagnostic information, gaining patient consent to, patient understanding of, and patient compliance and participation with, treatment programmes
- To provide effective feedback to referrers to the service by letter and or verbal communication ensuring treatment plans are understood by the referrer and supported by the wider health network
- To provide an appropriate service to the diverse local population, taking into account language and cultural differences. This includes the capture of ethnicity data
- Most patients will present with complex conditions or multiple pathologies. Many also have emotional, physical, and psychological conditions, e.g., Deafness, depression, Alzheimers, learning difficulties. These stand in the way of easy understanding and require the expert use of verbal and nonverbal communication tools including the use of interpreting services if necessary.
- To disseminate relevant knowledge acquired via continued professional development to ensure other members of the Podiatry Team within the diabetic and vascular MDT are aware of current best practice
- To ensure that all information relating to patients and staff gained through employment with the Trust is kept confidential
External
- To work effectively as a member of the diabetic and vascular MDT , ensuring effective communication with other professionals in the necessary delivery of all aspects of patient care.
- To employ good interpersonal skills when liaising with consultants/junior doctors/GPs/other health professionals and members of the public.
- Produce and present Health Education and promotional information to the public and specialist material/training to other Health Professionals. To develop specialist training packages to meet the needs of the local population, for both patients and Health Professionals considering the diverse population needs.
- Provide accurate information to patients and their family as well as professional carers regarding the development of foot disease
- Liaison with other Health Professionals to produce consistent care protocols across districts and disciplines.
- Working in conjunction with service leads to provide information for NEL STP Diabetes Network Team meetings
Training
- To plan and facilitate effective podiatry rotations/shadowing, podiatry student placements within the service organisation, providing effective education, facilitating their development, and promoting high standards of care
- To ensure own continued professional development and support a culture of lifelong learning in self and others
- To attend and input into the diabetic and vascular MDT and monthly vascular departmental audit and governance meetings
- To attend and complete all mandatory training within the required timeframes.
- To undertake a regular appraisal, developing a personal development plan that includes clinical competencies reflecting the health needs of the local population and relates to Trust strategy
- To have access to clinical supervision
- To support new staff and their integration within the team
- To support training as part of the role including changes to professional development and implementation of new policies and guidelines
- To provide evidence of continued specialist study and training or experience at an MSc level or equivalent
- To maintain up-to-date knowledge of developments within the profession and of relevant clinical issues and treatment
- To undertake relevant Continued Professional Development and to maintain CPD portfolio, in line with departmental objectives and personal development plan.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- BSc Diploma/Degree in Podiatric Medicine
- Certificate in the administration of Local Anaesthesia
- Registration with HCPC
- Evidence of continual Professional Development
- Prescription only medicine certificate
- Evidence of post graduate training to masters level or equivalent experience
Desirable
- Supplementary Prescribing - working towards independent prescribing
Experience
Essential
- Experience in area of specialism
- Experience of communicating across internal and external boundaries
- Experience of governance , quality and audit
- Experience of multi-agency working
Desirable
- Experience and Knowledge of commissioning
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- BSc Diploma/Degree in Podiatric Medicine
- Certificate in the administration of Local Anaesthesia
- Registration with HCPC
- Evidence of continual Professional Development
- Prescription only medicine certificate
- Evidence of post graduate training to masters level or equivalent experience
Desirable
- Supplementary Prescribing - working towards independent prescribing
Experience
Essential
- Experience in area of specialism
- Experience of communicating across internal and external boundaries
- Experience of governance , quality and audit
- Experience of multi-agency working
Desirable
- Experience and Knowledge of commissioning
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
