Specialist Hospital Podiatrist

Job summary

The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT) Podiatry Department has a permanent podiatry post for an enthusiastic, willing to learn and reliable member of staff. The post holder will be working with a busy, research oriented motivated hospital-based department. The area of speciality will be diabetes and wound care collaborating within secondary, primary and community care. You will be working alongside other HCPs, Leeds Primary and Community Care HCPs and consultants. There will be opportunity to develop oneself in line with the service requirements. This will be taken into account with the development of other team members.

This is a unique opportunity to work in the acute Trust with all its benefits, support and development within the speciality of diabetic foot co-leading with another Band 7 podiatrist.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be responsible for delivering and leading highly specialist clinical care to their own caseload, MDT and service within their speciality area. In doing so, they will assess, plan, deliver and evaluate patient centered programmes of care ensuring that they practice within their sphere of competence and knowledge. The post holder will work to professional and regulatory body codes, standards and guidance at all times ensuring that their speciality is grounded in evidence based theoretical and practical knowledge. They will be responsible for developing new and innovative clinical practices responding to emerging knowledge and techniques and working with other services where appropriate to make improvements.

About us

Our values are part of what make us different from other trusts, so we see this as a strength, as well as a responsibility. They have been developed by our staff and set out what they see as important to how we work. Our five values are:

Patient-centered

Collaborative

Fair

Accountable

Empowered

All our actions and endeavours will be guided and evaluated through these values.

WEST YORKSHIRE ASSOCIATION OF ACUTE TRUSTS (WYAAT)

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is part of the West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts (WYAAT), a collaborative of the NHS hospital trusts from across West Yorkshire and Harrogate working together to provide the best possible care for our patients. By bringing together the wide range of skills and expertise across West Yorkshire and Harrogate we are working differently, innovating and driving forward change to deliver the highest quality care.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals is committed to our process of redeploying 'at risk' members of our existing workforce to new roles. As such, all our job adverts are subject to this policy and we reserve the right to close, delay or remove adverts while this process is completed. If you do experience a delay in the shortlisting stage of the recruitment cycle, please bear with us while this process is completed, and contact the named contact if you have any questions.

Job description

Job responsibilities

. PRINCIPAL DUTIES & AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

To be part of a highly motivated team, providing a high standard of clinical care to all its users with a priority for specialising in the area of Diabetes and wound care.

Utilises highly developed specialised knowledge covering a range of procedures and underpinned by relevant broad-based knowledge, experience and competence

To demonstrate a high level of post graduate experience with a responsibility for managing complex case loads.

To act as a specialist liaison between referring agents with regard to clinical finding, proposed treatments, outcomes and further investigations along with communication of such findings to primary care workers, multi disciplinary teams and other health care professionals including across healthcare systems

Makes complex judgements requiring analysis, interpretation and comparison of options by integrating complex knowledge sources in new and/or unfamiliar contexts

Demonstrates independent practice responding to social, scientific, clinical and ethical issues which are encountered

Works to standards of proficiency identified by their professional and regulatory bodies performing clinical treatments/procedures to a highly specialist standard

To identify development and adhere to policies, protocols, strategies, objectives and link into business plans as part of the Diabetes Limb Salvage Service

To provide teaching, mentorship and coaching to students and colleagues from Podiatry and other health care professionals.

To be familiar with the administrational and clerical duties.

Provides and receives complex, sensitive or contentious information where motivational, persuasive, empathetic, negotiating and reassurance skills are required whilst demonstrating an understanding of barriers to communication

Can provide understanding, reasonable adjustments and support for vulnerable adults with regards to mental capacity, learning disabilities and safeguarding.

Undertakes any training required to develop and maintain their proficiency in response to changes in service delivery or new and emerging techniques and demonstrate competence within professional body requirements

Reflects on and evaluates own practice and identifies areas of development by setting appropriate objectives via appraisal and clinical supervision

Devises and delivers specialist training and development programmes within team and to other services, teams or agencies

Provides high quality, specialist advice related to clinical specialism to other practitioners, agencies and individuals

Supports the learning and development of peers and wider team including students and preceptees

Maintain comprehensive case notes in accordance with the Legal requirements set down in the Royal College of Podiatrists, LTHT Trust policies, DOH NICE guidelines and departmental protocols/policies.

Adhere to the Royal College of Podiatrists, DOH, NICE and Health and Safety guidelines. To keep registered with the HCPC and adhere to their code of conduct and guidelines.

Clinical skills should be evidence based and updated using relevant identified means appropriate journals, courses, portfolios, professional guidelines etc.

To be responsible for the podiatric assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, delivery and evaluation of podiatric interventions including but not exhaustive of: -

o Independent Non-Medical Prescribing

o Radiological referrals and acting on the findings

o Tissue and bone sampling

Undertake advanced neurological and vascular assessments.

Provide foot care and footwear advice or referral to appliance department for appropriate footwear.

Undertake the assessment of patients prior to nail surgery and where applicable soft tissue surgery. This may include: -

Obtaining a full medical and social history with particular emphasis on risk factors pertaining to surgery.

Requesting diagnostic tests such as blood tests, thrombophylic screening and liaison with Haematology departments with regards to INR values. Blood glucose tolerance tests and HbA1c.

Undertake lower limb vascular assessment using doppler, toe and ankle brachial pressure indexes.

Interpretation of advanced test results and their clinical significance.

Be aware of all trusts and Departmental policies.

To have the ability to be involved in audit and research.

Highly experienced in assessing, diagnosis and treatment of complex high-risk patients.

To maintain highly developed physical skills, precision hand eye co-ordination for prolonged periods in the use of local anaesthetics, scalpel work, surgical procedures and techniques.

Be able to communicate medical information or gain consent when dealing with high-risk patients. These include patients with complex conditions or multiple pathologies. This includes patients with emotional, physical and psychological conditions which will require the expertise of verbal and non-verbal communication tools.

Be responsible for maintaining personal and clinical hygiene. This includes maintenance of sterile fields where necessary.

To be actively involved in the provision of foot health education and advice to patient, relatives, carers and to participate in foot health training where appropriate.

CORE BEHAVIOURS AND SKILLS

The post holder should be able to demonstrate calm rational behaviour when dealing with any patients or employees of LTH. There will be the ability to check quality performance either by self or in conjunction with other parties. This will allow for case conferences, care pathway investigations and results to maximise learning outcomes. There should be the ability to converse at local levels of Health Professionals and Management with regards to listening, reflective practice and self analysis. Highly developed physical skills for scalpel, surgical and dexterity purposes are required.

Specific behaviours will include:

Professionalism

Smartly dressed

Responsible

Appropriate time keeping

Be polite at all times

Communicate problems effectively and appropriately

Self motivated

Be able to work in partnership within the department and LTH.

Specific skills will include-

Basic IT

Power point presentation

Accurate scalpel work

Diagnostic skills

Delegation of specific tasks

Verbal and written instruction

Telephone manner

Uphold autonomy

Communication in the field of MDTs.

8. CORE KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

To have extensive knowledge of the MDT approach in secondary, primary and community care. To be able to understand and contribute to the links between teamwork, liaising within the LTH trust and other primary and secondary trusts. The post holder will communicate effectively.

9. PRINCIPAL DUTIES & AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Diabetes Limb Salvage Service and its extended MDT services

Statistical Data

To initiate or undertake audit review programs and liaise with systems intelligence to provide performance to ensure delivery of best practice and service equality.

Health and Safety/Risk Management

1. All staff are responsible for working with their colleagues to maintain and improve the quality of services provided to our patients and other service users. This includes complying at all times with the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Policies, including Health and Safety and lone working policies, in particularly following agreed safe working procedures, and reporting incidents using the NHS Incident Reporting system.

2. To be familiar with Leeds Community Healthcare Policies.

3. The post holder must be aware and comply with any COSHH, work related risk assessments, infection control, sharps and decontamination.

4. To attend all mandatory training.

5. To have the capability or training to safely move and handle patients.

6. Assist in stock and equipment storage and its safe use.

7. Works with managers and colleagues to continually improve the quality of service delivery within the overall organisational governance frameworks and corporate objectives reflecting the changing needs of the population, local and national initiatives suggesting changes to pathways or processes.

8. Identifies, manages and minimises risks within the overall organisational risk management frameworks supporting other staff to contribute to the process. This includes understanding and applying knowledge of clinical role in safeguarding and incident management

Infection Control

The jobholder must comply at all times with the Leeds Teaching Hospitals and the Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust Infection Control policies, in particular by practising Universal Infection Control Precautions. Hand hygiene must be performed before and after contact with patients and their environment.

Equality and Diversity

The jobholder must comply with all policies and procedures designed to ensure equality of employment and that services are delivered in ways that meet the individual needs of patients and their families. No person whether they are staff, patient or visitor should receive less favourable treatment because of their gender, ethnic origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion etc.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

Highly developed specialist theoretical and clinical knowledge appropriate to service area and profession Highly developed knowledge of relevant current issues in health and social care, ethics and innovation and application in practice Demonstrates awareness of limits to knowledge base

Desirable

Other high risk patients management diabetes, vascular, rheumatology Working history with MDT. Hospital Podiatry provision Orthotic manufacturing and prescription writing Prescribing and devising devices to manage foot / ankle pressures including casting and orthoses.

Qualifications

Essential

Podiatry degree/diploma State registration Non-medical Independent Prescribing

Desirable

MSC or relevant post graduate qualifications in the field of Diabetes. Evidence of post-graduate training in the field of musculoskeletal and/or foot surgery and/or Diabetic foot disease. Has attended courses or training in coaching.

Skills & behaviours

Essential

Supervisory skills Flexible professional able to work within a team.

Desirable

Leadership skills. Caring disposition.

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