King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
To provide highly specialised podiatric care for patients admitted with diabetes-related foot complications during their hospital admission and act as a link person within the multidisciplinary foot team. The Mike Edmonds Foot Unit is a podiatry-led, multidisciplinary, tertiary referral unit which provides expert specialist foot care, advanced assessment, and diagnostic techniques for high-risk patients with complex foot pathologies resulting from the complications of diabetes.
In 2021 the Foot Unit underwent an upgrade, and now includes:
* 5 treatment cubicles
* 2 isolation rooms
* 2 procedure rooms
We are looking for individuals who are ready to join a highly professional and hardworking team to make a real and lasting difference to our patients and staff alike.
The post holder will be expected to deliver a podiatry service across the hospital, including inpatient wards and outpatient departments. The post holder will help to direct expert patient care to be carried out within the local community health care settings, promptly and efficiently complete administration duties, escalate referrals to the acute multidisciplinary foot team, and steer a step down to local services as required by following an established pathway of expert care.
Main duties of the job
The working base of the diabetic foot team is the Mike Edmonds Foot Unit, which acts as an important physical focus of diabetic foot care to serve the diabetic patients in the local catchment area. It has approximately 10,000 patient attendances a year. Its main aim is to provide rapid multidisciplinary treatment of patients with active foot problems. The successful candidate will have an office base within the unit and will provide a roaming service throughout the hospital and to the renal dialysis outpatient unit.
The foot clinic provides open access for patients with acute foot problems. The diabetic foot team has developed new approaches with both vascular and orthopaedic surgeons to deal efficiently with the increasing workload of complex diabetic foot patients. These include combined vascular, orthopaedic, and plastic surgery clinics. This clinic approach is replicated on the wards in the form of multidisciplinary foot team ward rounds. The successful candidate will also have a role in coordinating, performing, and overseeing patient transfers from the ward to the unit for day procedure debridements, performed by the podiatrist or supporting the treating speciality.
In addition, advanced wound care techniques including total contact casting are employed in everyday practice.
We also actively participate in clinical research.
About us
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK's largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of £1 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year, and around 15,000 staff based across 5 main sites in South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local hospital services across its different sites and specialist services from King's College Hospital (KCH) sites at Denmark Hill in Camberwell and at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) site in Bromley.
King's is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone's contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust's carbon emissions, waste, and pollution wherever possible.
The trust-wide strategy Strong Roots, Global Reach is our Vision to be BOLD, Brilliant people, Outstanding care, Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education, Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do. By being person-centred, digitally-enabled, and focused on sustainability, we can take Team King's to another level.
Job responsibilities
This post offers an exciting opportunity for an outstanding candidate to join one of the largest and most successful multidisciplinary foot teams in the UK.
Applicants must demonstrate considerable post-registration experience in diabetes, advanced specialist knowledge of podiatry, and wound care in relation to the management of the high-risk patient.
Candidates should be highly motivated, have the ability to cope with and manage clinical emergencies, and be able to positively manage stress in a busy and demanding environment. This post also requires a high level of understanding of the roles of team members, knowledge and experience in clinical governance, audit, risk management, and evidence-based practice.
Clinic Duties and Responsibilities
* Act as a role model and clinical expert within diabetic foot management, promoting and demonstrating first-class care through evidence-based practice and research.
* Take a lead on clinical care by independently managing a patient caseload trust-wide with support from the multidisciplinary team.
* Ensure that where appropriate each patient has a comprehensive wound assessment undertaken and a referral is made to the appropriate specialty (vascular, orthopaedics, plastics, renal, dermatology, or appropriate discipline).
* Support the multidisciplinary foot team by facilitating the booking of investigations and interpretation of results.
* Act as an expert in the use of specific treatments and advanced wound techniques including sharp debridement of wounds, topical negative pressure therapy & larvae therapy.
* Provide advice on the most appropriate pressure-relieving devices for specific conditions including liaison with the orthotics department for appropriate footwear provision.
* Carry out measurements of transcutaneous oxygen tension pre and post-angioplasty and post-bypass surgery.
* Attend weekly angiography meetings and present diabetic foot patients' medical history and feedback results to the multidisciplinary foot team.
* Co-ordinate and participate in bi-weekly multidisciplinary diabetes foot ward rounds and present patients and their test results.
* Lead on weekly multidisciplinary vascular ward rounds and present patients and their vascular test results to the consultant vascular surgeons.
* Identify areas of poor practice and respond appropriately ensuring the delivery of safe and effective practice.
* Work closely with PCTs, Tissue Viability Nurse Specialist, and podiatry services to ensure continuity of care.
* Contribute to the development of evidence-based, clinical, and cost-effective diabetes care, and take a leading role in disseminating this information to colleagues.
* Proactively identify the need for clinical or service innovations to effectively screen and assess the feet of people with diabetes, and take a leading role in designing, implementing, or maintaining these innovations within the Trust.
* Possess an in-depth knowledge of painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy causes, symptoms, management, and specialist clinics available.
* Provide expert advice to patients, carers, and wider health services on ulcer prevention and self-care and engage with national and international strategies to prevent reulceration.
* Knowledge and understanding of local wound referral pathways, and best practice guidance, to ensure implementation clinically.
* Lead in liaising with local infection control, microbiology, and multidisciplinary teams to minimise patient risk associated with infection.
* Lead the design and implementation of care plans for the management of acute, chronic, and surgical reconstruction of Charcot Neuro-osteoarthropathy in collaboration with the wider multidisciplinary foot team.
Education and Training
* To participate in the development and delivery of programmes of education and training according to the identified needs of clients, carers, and others involved in their care.
* To work with other clinical staff to identify knowledge gaps in relation to patients and ensure staff are appropriately educated.
* To supervise and provide support to junior staff within the team, professional colleagues, and visitors to the unit.
* Develop and participate in local ward-based and trust-wide education programmes for the multidisciplinary foot team on general diabetic foot care and management.
* Educate and advise patients and their significant others on all aspects of diabetic foot care.
* Contribute and participate in teaching on postgraduate courses and actively participate in educational events provided by the trust and primary care sector.
* Contribute to annual study days for the tissue viability link nurses, diabetes link nurses, physiotherapists, 3rd year medical students training days, and medical and nursing inductions.
* To actively participate in educational events provided by the Trust and primary care sector.
Leadership
* To liaise effectively with all other disciplines within the Trust and at local level.
* To participate in the management of change to improve standards and communication links from Acute Trusts through to Primary Care.
* To comply with measures to actively manage and reduce risk to patients, ensuring the formal reporting and recording of adverse incidents in line with Trust Policy.
* Carry out an evaluation of database content and statistical analysis of activities for presentation at multidisciplinary foot team meetings and grand rounds.
* Prepare annual reports of diabetic foot activities and standards of care for evaluation by medical care group management.
* To take a lead on topics, as decided by you and your manager, for example Clinical Governance, Safeguarding, Education, and Training updates.
Research and Service Development
* To promote and facilitate evidence-based practice and clinical audit within the Trust, raising the profile and enhancing the contribution of allied health professionals to patient care and informing business and service development plans.
* To participate in and assist with any appropriate/relevant Trust approved research projects conducted within the department.
* To promote diabetes research and evidenced-based practice relevant to the specialty.
* To lead on audit/benchmarking within own specialist area.
* To utilise and maintain information systems to aid audit and to provide regular activity analysis reports.
* The post holder has a general duty of care for their own health, safety, and wellbeing and that of work colleagues, visitors, and patients within the hospital, in addition to any specific risk management or clinical governance accountabilities associated with this post.
General
* To observe the rules, policies, procedures, and standards of King's College Hospital NHS Trust together with all relevant statutory and professional obligations.
* To live and role model the Kings Values.
* To observe and maintain strict confidentiality of personal information relating to patients and staff.
* To be responsible, with management support, for their own personal development and to actively contribute to the development of colleagues.
* This job description is intended as a guide to the general scope of duties and is not intended to be definitive or restrictive.
* It is expected that some of the duties will change over time and this description will be subject to review in consultation with the post holder.
* All employees must hold an 'nhs.net' email account which will be the Trust's formal route for email communication.
Safeguarding
* The Trust takes the issues of Safeguarding Children, Adults and addressing Domestic Abuse very seriously. All employees have a responsibility to support the organisation in our duties by;
* Attending mandatory training on safeguarding children and adults.
* Familiarising themselves with the Trust's processes for reporting concerns.
* Reporting any safeguarding child or adult concerns appropriately.
Infection Control Statement
The post holder has an important responsibility for and contribution to infection control and must be familiar with the infection control and hygiene procedures and requirements when in clinical areas.
These requirements are set out in the National Code of Practice on Infection Control and in local policies and procedures which will be made clear during your induction and subsequent refresher training. These standards must be strictly complied with at all times.
For further information, please refer to the Job Description attached.
Person Specification
Experience
* Experience of running research and audit programmes.
* Ability to communicate specialist information on a range of service development issues within trust, developed negotiating and influencing skills.
* Excellent working knowledge of evidence-based best practice guidelines and national framework.
Qualifications
* HCPC registration.
* Ability to demonstrate supplementary specialist postgraduate theoretical and practical training/study, including certificate of local analgesia.
* Independent prescriber (or willing to work towards) and advanced knowledge of infections, microbiology, and antibiotic treatments used in diabetic foot wounds.
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.
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
£61,927 to £68,676 a year per annum pro rata, incl HCA
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