Best foot forward

Published –

Question: What do podiatrists do in a health crisis as devastating as COVID-19?

Answer: For a start, over 800 have re-registered with the Health and Care Professions Council to join the massive team effort – that’s 93% of those who have left the register since 2017.

They are doing what podiatrists do.  As advanced podiatrist Krishna Gohill and podiatry assistant Charlotte Honeywood explain in Podiatry on the frontline Iseethedifference.co.uk, they are keeping the pressure off acute services by identifying and treating patients with the most serious foot problems. For example, they telephone triage all patients that would have been attending clinics to find those with limb threatening problems though lack of blood supply or infection.

Krishna says: ‘It has never been more crucial to use my expert clinical knowledge and skills to minimise and prevent hospital admissions due to foot complications, sparing precious hospital beds.’

And from Fife to East Sussex they are doing what podiatrists don’t usually do such as helping community nurses.  In Fife, for example, they are visiting patients who are house bound and require wound dressings. They have put all non-critical podiatry on hold so they can use their skills to free up nurses to provide other care.

Lynn Barker, Fife’s associate director of nursing, says: ‘I’m immensely proud of the collaboration between the podiatry and community nursing services. The action taken by podiatry staff who have willingly taken on this new challenge to support patients can’t be praised highly enough.’

Allison Somerville, community diabetes podiatrist, adds: ‘I am glad we are able to use our expertise to contribute to the care of this most vulnerable pat group and support our community nursing colleagues.’

At Salford Royal podiatrists are working as part of the turning teams in ICU, working with donning and doffing teams and doing whatever is required. In the Isle of Man, podiatrists are joining physiotherapists, OTs, speech and language therapists to create 7-day a week proning and un-proning teams.

Beverley Harden, AHP lead at Health Education England, reports that redeployed podiatrists are doing brilliant work in tissue viability teams, community matron roles, neighbourhood teams, rehabilitation roles, ‘everywhere with a smile.’

Others are in testing centres, doing morgue duties, giving support in the wards, and helping with discharge planning.

In Wales we’ve spotted one of our 2020 finalists Sally Bloomfield from Swansea Bay University Health Board is working behind the scenes at the Bay Field Hospital, soon to offer 1000 extra beds.

And Jane Lewis cycled 180 miles in 9 hours across the Welsh countryside to fund raise to help fellow podiatrist, Gafin Morgan, make visors on his 3d printer for Prince Charles Hospital.

Tell us what’s going on in your patch and we’ll spread the word.

 

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