Podiatry
Our Podiatry service is comprised of three teams including the High Risk Foot Team, Musculoskeletal Podiatry and Community Podiatry. We work across a variety of settings, inclusive of hospital wards, outpatient clinics, community clinics, nursing and residential homes, and patients’ own homes. We provide preventative care from diagnosis through to treatment for a range of problems affecting the feet, ankles, and legs.
As a Podiatrist in Tameside and Glossop, your priority will be to prevent unnecessary amputation in at risk groups and improve the mobility, independence and quality of life for all our patients.
We offer a range of specialist podiatry services including diabetic foot, complex wound, arterial assessment, paediatric and musculoskeletal clinics.
We have a variety of highly skilled and experienced staff who work autonomously with patients as part of a multidisciplinary team of other AHPs, nurses, medical and surgical staff.
We all work together to provide efficient, effective and safe care for our patients which includes participating in multi-disciplinary meetings for our most acute diabetes and vascular cases and providing seamless care across community and hospital boundaries.
Professional Development
We support Podiatry undergraduates and welcome health and social care students to participate in placements with us as part of a wider initiative to ‘Grow our Own’. We are also looking at offering Podiatry Apprenticeship in the future.
We are currently developing our Preceptorship offer in collaboration with our newly qualified staff to create the best possible experience to help you bridge that gap between student and early career.
We believe in supporting training and education which builds a strong highly skilled podiatry workforce to meet the increasing needs of our patients.
This includes supporting non-medical prescribing, leadership development and post graduate education to develop our team in areas of Advanced Practice.
We are also proactive members of external networks within our region to promote best practice, share exemplars and ensure we are at the forefront of podiatry care.
High Risk Foot Team
Who are we?
We are a team of diabetes and vascular trained podiatrists. We provide advanced assessment, diagnosis and management for non-healing foot wounds. This includes using specialist wound diagnostic and management techniques such as toe pressures, larvae therapy, topical negative pressure therapy and fabricating below knee casts. Our podiatrists are compression bandage trained and are non-medical prescribers. We provide a high risk service to patients with and without diabetes and strive to achieve equity of care for these patients. We are also one of a handful of departments regionally and nationally that offer a Podiatry led peripheral arterial disease (PAD) screening service in the community to detect PAD at the earliest interval to help prevent heart attacks, strokes and amputation. This helps to keep 80% of PAD under community care and ensures that only the most appropriate people with threatened limbs see a vascular surgeon.
Our Vision
“To provide gold standard assessment, diagnosis and management of the ‘At Risk’ lower limb in Tameside and Glossop to prevent avoidable minor and major amputation. To promote improved patient understanding, education and care of underlying long term conditions that place limbs at risk by working in partnership with patients, their carers and the wider MDT”
We are proud to share that Tameside and Glossop has the lowest major amputation rate in Greater Manchester (Hospital Episode Statistics; National Diabetes Audit; Quality and Outcomes Framework 2018/2019-2020/2021)
The team were short listed for the ‘Care Together Award’ for their “Love your legs, save your life” public health initiative which saw members of the public receiving NHS health checks and leg circulation checks at the local Town Hall to raise awareness of Peripheral Arterial Disease.
Adult Musculoskeletal Podiatry
Who are we?
We are a team of Musculoskeletal Podiatrists who specialise in assessing and managing lower limb problems related to medical conditions, injuries, and post-surgical complications. We use a CAD CAM (computer aided design computer aided manufacture) foot orthotic system to create bespoke foot orthoses for patients with a range of walking and running related biomechanical conditions. This cutting-edge technology, which is used by the US military, generates a three dimensional image of the contours of each foot. The images can then be digitally altered to meet individual needs before they are transmitted electronically to the 3D CAD CAM mill, which grinds the orthoses.
This service was runner-up in the NHS North West Health and Social Care Awards for its outstanding biomechanics services.
Our Vision
“To promote mobility, activity, and pain relief for adults”
Paediatric Musculoskeletal Podiatry
Who are we?
Our paediatric MSK Podiatrist specialises in assessing and treating a variety of lower limb problems that can affect children from infancy up to 18 years old. They are skilled in identifying and solving problems, even when a child is unable to communicate what’s wrong. We use a combination of observation, touch, movement, and communication with parents and children to get to the root of the issue and help kids get back to the activities they love, without pain. For more complex foot conditions, we take a cast of both feet to fabricate bespoke insoles.
When creating custom insoles, we have an in-house appliance laboratory and skilled appliance lab technicians to assist with the fabrication of these devices. These insoles can be digitally designed or crafted based on a prescription from the clinician.
Our vision
“To keep children active and pain free”
Podiatry Support Workforce
Our Podiatry support workforce support the High Risk Foot Team, MSK Podiatry and Community Podiatry. They use a range of clinical and technical skills working independently under the direction of our Podiatrists to deliver excellent care to our patients. We are passionate about supporting the professional development of our Podiatry support workforce with opportunities such as the Royal College of Podiatry, Podiatry Assistant qualification and plans to offer Podiatry Apprenticeship in the future.
We are continually evaluating roles and responsibilities to support these staff to work at the top of their scope and understand how we can best utilise their skills. We also proactively support leadership opportunities including mentoring and coaching health and social care students, and improving organisational understanding of the value of our AHP support workforce.
