Specialist Podiatrist - Diabetes

Band 6
Job summary
Diabetes Care For You is currently looking for an experienced and highly motivated Specialist Podiatrist for our innovative community diabetes service. You must have experience of delivering high quality care to patients with diabetes, and be committed to supporting the implementation and transformation of the community diabetes service. Our Specialist Podiatrists are instrumental in the implementation, and delivery of the service model, which affords an exciting opportunity to positively impact the health and quality of life for a large cohort of the Sussex population.
Diabetes Care For You is a multidisciplinary team comprising consultants, nursing, podiatrists, dieticians, psychotherapists and support staff, working with patients living with diabetes. We support patients across Brighton and Hove, High Weald, Lewes and the Havens working from various clinical settings and when required providing domiciliary visits, so the ability to travel across the patch will mean you have a varied working week. Our patients are 18+.
We encourage interested podiatrists to contact us to discuss further ahead of applying.
Main duties of the job
We're looking for an enthusiastic qualified podiatrist with an interest in the diabetic foot who is a team-player with great communication skills. You must be committed to delivering high quality care to patients living with diabetes and a desire to support improvements within our innovative community model.
To assess, diagnose and develop and implement individualised care programmes for patients with a wide variety of clinical needs and a diagnosis of diabetes. The post holder will maintain a diabetic patient caseload and provide support to the community diabetes clinical team with a focus on foot protection. This will include care for people with associated acute or chronic neuropathies, other existing chronic diseases, vascular pathology and wound management, minor ops and musculoskeletal problems.
The post holder will also be expected to plan and manage their own clinical caseload, liaising with relevant professionals as required. You will also support other colleagues and caseloads in the Service as deemed necessary by the Clinical Service Manager in response to local needs at the time.
About us
We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex. Our 6,000 staff serve a population of 1.3 million providing essential medical, nursing, and therapeutic care to adults and children.
Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community, helping people plan, manage, adapt to changes in their health, supporting avoidable hospital admissions and reducing hospital stay times.
We have opportunities for everyone across our wide variety of services including medical, clinical, support and corporate services.
Why work for us?

• Positive 2022 NHS Staff Survey results, scoring highly in compassionate culture & leadership, and staff wellbeing support
• Variety of working environments across the community, in patients' homes, within our community hospitals and bases across the county
• Supportive flexible working patterns such as: part time, flexi time, annualised hours, and flexi retirement options
• Excellent training and development opportunities
• Research opportunities
• Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove and Brighton
• Thriving BAME, Disability and Wellbeing, LGBT+ and Religion and Belief staff networks
• Level 3 accredited Disability Confident Leader, committed to creating inclusive workplaces
• Veteran Aware Trust, achieving accreditation from Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA)
• Located in stunning Sussex, with easy access to the South Downs and the coast
• Access to a wide range of benefits and discounts for NHS staff

Job description
Job responsibilities
Communication and Working Relationships

• To be responsible for maintaining accurate and comprehensive patient treatment records in line with the HCPC codes of conduct and practice, The College of Podiatry, Trust policies and department guidelines.
• To provide presentations of information to appropriate forums.
• To communicate effectively with a variety of people at the appropriate level.
• Maintain effective lines of communication and effective working relationship in order to provide optimum patient care.
• Attend and actively participate in multi-disciplinary meetings and / or case conferences appropriate to clinical speciality.
• To communicate effectively with colleagues in the multidisciplinary team.
• To communicate effectively with podiatry colleagues in primary and secondary care to ensure optimum lines of communication between services and exchange of information regarding individual patients. This will include information regarding the results of the patients clinical assessment in relation to on-going medical and podiatry management.

Key Responsibilities

To be responsible for the day-to-day planning of personal workload.

To maintain and provide information concerning operation, statistics and development of the service as required.

To maintain full and accurate clinical records.

To be flexible and provide cover as required by the service managers.

To maintain all areas of the working environment in a clean and tidy condition, meeting minimum departmental standards at all times.

To ensure professional standards are maintained through personal presentation and conduct.

Timescales for achievement and standards of performance relating to the duties and responsibilities identified in this job description will be agreed with the post-holder via the annual appraisal process and the relevant KSF outline.

As an employee of Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust the post-holder will have access to confidential information. Under no circumstances should this be disclosed to an unauthorised person outside of the Trust. The post- holder must ensure compliance with the legal requirements of the Data Protection and Freedom of Information Acts.

As an employee of the Sussex Community Foundation Trust, the post-holder will be required to adhere to all Sussex Community Foundation Trusts policies including Equal Opportunities where all employees are expected to accept individual responsibility for the practical implications of these policies.

Every employee has a duty to ensure that the work that they undertake is conducted in a way that is safe to themselves, other employees, patients and members of the general public. If an employee considers that a hazard to health and safety exists, it is their responsibility to report the matter to their Manager and through the Incident Reporting system. Employees must co-operate with carrying out risk assessments and must adhere to safe systems of work. This includes understanding and adhering to the reporting procedures for clinical and non-clinical incidents/near misses. Employees must attend relevant courses and mandatory updates, take a pro-active role in contributing to risk identification and management and be responsive to lessons learned from incidents and near misses.

The post-holder must at all times abide by the professional code of conduct for their profession. Breaches of the code of conduct may lead to disciplinary action.

This post may require the post-holder to travel to other sites in the course of fulfilment of their duties.

The Trust has a no smoking policy.

Clinical governance: You will be expected to take part in the processes for monitoring and improving the quality of care provided to patients. This includes risk management and clinical audit. If you engage in clinical research you must follow Trust protocols and ensure that the research has had ethical approval. You will be expected to ensure that patients receive the information they need and are treated with dignity and respect for their privacy.

All staff should be aware of their responsibilities and role in the relation to the Trusts Major Incident Plan.

SCFT Employees are expected to act at all times in alignment with the Trusts vision and values, clearly identifying their own responsibilities in delivering the Trusts vision and values. Employees should honour the Trusts vision and values by demonstrating appropriate behaviours and encouraging this in others. Employees should demonstrate commitment to quality patient care through effective team working.

The Trust is committed to delivering a high standard of customer care and therefore it is compulsory to ensure that you have undergone induction training within 3 months of your appointment.

The Trust has a statutory duty to ensure that patients, clients and members of the public are consulted and involved in decisions about local health service developments. As a SCFT employee you should be mindful of this and do what you can, appropriate to your role and level of responsibility, to meet this duty.

Main Tasks

To be an autonomous practitioner, professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of your clinical work.

To support senior colleagues within the Podiatry Service/Community Diabetes Team to provide excellent, high quality care.

Provide a range of foot protection treatments for Podiatry patients

Manage own caseload of those with active foot complications with support from senior colleagues or working within the treatment plan.

Review Podiatry patients following treatment by senior colleagues and arrange for further treatment or discharge.

To be responsible for the assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation of podiatric care to a variety of patients referred to the service, with a wide range of clinical needs

Diabetes

Chronic Neuropathy

Chronic disease e.g. Rheumatoid Arthritis

Vascular problems

Wound management/Tissue Viability needs

Poor mental health

To provide domiciliary treatment in patients homes, Nursing Homes, Community Clinics and other sites as required.

To liaise with other professional disciplines and colleagues in the department, to ensure appropriate service delivery. To influence appropriate referrals for the client group, and where possible to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery.

To actively participate in patient and health professional education sessions as required.

To support colleagues in provision of services as deemed necessary by the manager of the service.

To provide care in a range of primary and secondary care settings, some of which may be in isolation

To have highly developed physical skills, precision hand/eye co-ordination for prolonged periods.

To have the capability and personal fitness to move and handle patients who may be immobile, wheelchair or bed-bound often in confined spaces.

To be actively involved in the development and implementation of departmental policies and procedures.

To follow departmental policies and procedures but have the discretion to make own clinical diagnosis and decisions within professional boundaries.

To be flexible and provide cover or undertake other duties appropriate to the grade at the direction of the operational lead or his/her deputy.

To maintain accurate records of all patient consultations and related work carried out at each clinical session.

To participate in service audit and research as required.

Organisation Chart

Clinical Service Manager
Team Lead Podiatrist
Postholder
Band 5 Podiatrists/Foot care Assistants, if applicable
Person Specification
Qualifications and professional registration
Essential

• Registered with Health Care Professions Council
• Degree/Diploma in Podiatry
• Current Valid Driving Licence

Desirable

• Membership of The College of Podiatry

Experience
Essential

• Post graduate experience in the area of diabetic footcare.
• Contributing to clinical education of other podiatrists, students, etc.
• Supervisory skills
• Comprehensive evidence of relevant lifelong learning and post graduate training

Desirable

• To have completed a clinical competencies programme
• Experience of supporting staff members in supervision and appraisal of student mentoring

Skills and Knowledge
Essential

• Able to demonstrate decision making / clinical reasoning skills in diabetic podiatry through the analysis and interpretation of the clinical examination
• Ability to work without supervision
• IT literate, able to use internet and database

Desirable

• Post-graduate qualification in the field of Diabetes

Other requirements
Essential

• Access to a car for travelling within workplace catchment area as role will involve regular travel to clinic sites and for domiciliary visits.

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.
Certificate of Sponsorship
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).
Employer details
Employer name
Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Moulsecoomb Health Centre
Hodshrove Lane, Hodshrove Road
Brighton
BN2 4SE
Employer's website
https://www.sussexcommunity.nhs.uk/work-with-us/ (Opens in a new tab)