Job Responsibilities
* The role of the Advanced Staff Surgical Podiatrist is to deliver high‑quality Advanced Clinical care for patients presenting to Podiatric Surgery with conditions requiring treatment from the Podiatric surgery department, including but not limited to injection therapy, advanced local anesthetic blocks, surgical wound care, pre, peri and post‑operative care within Community Services.
* To undertake the advanced assessment and appropriate management of patients who are referred into the Podiatric Surgery service.
* To independently undertake the detailed comprehensive assessment of patients, including those with a complex physical and medical history, using investigative and analytical skills and to formulate individualised treatment plans, using advanced clinical reasoning.
* Utilise a wide range of treatment skills and options to formulate a personalised advanced programme of care.
* Refer to the Podiatric Surgeons for situations outside skill set and/or competencies.
* Use advanced clinical skills and knowledge to support the implementation of patient choice at the point of referral for surgical care.
* To undertake and lead on letter and telephone triage assessment of e‑referral letters and face‑to‑face contact roles.
* Request and interpret a full range of diagnostic investigations (e.g. blood tests, X‑rays, MRI scans) to aid the assessment, diagnosis and appropriate treatment planning of patients referred to Podiatric Surgery, seeking the input of senior podiatric surgeons when required.
* Independently act upon the reported diagnostic findings and instigate treatments where necessary (e.g. prescribing antibiotics for a post‑surgical infection). Report to podiatric surgeons the findings and actions taken.
* Individually manage patients with foot and ankle conditions by referring to other specialist practitioners, health professionals and specialist care (currently Secondary Care), e.g., Podiatrists, Orthotists, vascular consultants and advanced care nurses.
* Use advanced knowledge of Podiatric Surgical procedures to discuss possible treatment options including associated risks and benefits with service users.
* Act as a crucial source of advanced clinical reasoning/decision making on the management of foot and ankle conditions to provide advice and education to Podiatrists, GPs and other healthcare professionals. From time to time, this may also include Podiatry/Podiatric surgery students.
* Provide highly specialist clinical services, responsible for initial patient assessment including collection of detailed case history information, observation, assessment procedures, leading to an individual programme of care, and responsibility for decisions leading to review or discharge of patients.
* Use advanced knowledge to request and interpret appropriate investigations (blood screens, X‑rays, MRI, ultrasound scans) using Trust online computerised systems.
* Use advanced training and skills to prescribe appropriate medications within your scope of practice using FP10 forms and/or electronic formats.
* Independently screen and list patients for Podiatric Surgery through pre‑surgical assessment, expediently acting upon adverse findings during the screening process and referring to other agencies as required.
* Communicate effectively with patients during the peri‑operative period and independently hold personal difficult conversations around a person's suitability for surgery at a given time.
* Co‑lead audit on the clinical effectiveness of the Podiatric Surgery Service using the national PASCOM‑10 system.
* Independently screen and list patients for procedures, e.g., steroid injections and aftercare where appropriate.
* Undertake a range of complex podiatric and surgical techniques including but not limited to steroid injections, wound care, administering advanced local anesthetic blocks, vascular assessments and neurological assessments.
* Independently provide local anaesthesia for Podiatric Surgical procedures and advise/prescribe adequate analgesia for patients post‑surgically.
* Lead the anaesthetic team concerning administering local anaesthetic blocks.
* Autonomously select the appropriate local anesthetic and block technique for the procedure, assess the patient's suitability for the local anaesthetic (allergies, anxiety), calculate the maximum safe dosage, provide rescue anaesthesia if required and accurately record in the patient's record.
* Autonomously provide advice on post‑operative care to patients, including the effective communication of post‑surgical advice on discharge from hospital, advising on dosages of analgesics and prescribing analgesic drugs when required, training and administering patients with crutches.
* Independently treat post‑operative patients, including surgical wound care, suture/percutaneous fixation removal.
* Be highly skilled in the recognition signs of wound care infection/DVT and manage such conditions within skill set.
* Take part in the Podiatric Surgery on‑call rota, providing an initial point of contact out of hours for patients 24/7 with post‑operative emergencies/queries, expediently and autonomously managing any post‑operative complications with face‑to‑face treatment or referral to the appropriate service, making the podiatric surgeon aware if necessary.
* Use advanced skills and knowledge to form a clinical judgement on when patients need to be reviewed by a consultant Podiatric Surgeon.
* Ensure Professional Registration requirements are kept up to date.
* Ensure DBS checks are undertaken as required by the Trust Policy.
* Maintain clinical professional development (CPD) by keeping abreast of new trends, developments and incorporating them into practice.
* Complete mandatory training as per Trust guidelines.
* Be an active member of the in‑service training program by attending and delivering presentations and training sessions at staff meetings and tutorials, and by attending external courses and practising reflective practice.
* Decide priorities for own work area, balancing other patient‑related and professional demands, ensuring these remain in line with the demands of the service.
* Be responsible for the equipment used in carrying out Advanced Surgical Podiatry duties, adhering to service policies including competence to use the equipment and ensuring safe use by others through coaching, training and supervision.
* Maintain accurate, comprehensive, up‑to‑date documentation in line with legal and service requirements, communicating assessment results to the appropriate disciplines in the form of reports, letters and referrals to other professionals.
* Be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of your work, including the management of patients in your care, ensuring a high standard of clinical care for the patients under your management and supporting staff to do likewise.
* Be actively involved in the collection of appropriate data and statistics for the use of the department.
* Be aware of health and safety aspects of your work and implement any policies, which may be required to improve the safety of your work area, including prompt recording and reporting of incidents via Datix and to the manager, ensuring equipment use is safe.
* Comply with organisational and departmental policies and procedures and be involved in reviewing and updating them as appropriate.
* Play an active role in the development, implementation and monitoring of clinical standards and clinical effectiveness within the Podiatric Surgery service.
* Be an active team player, ensuring the team's delivery plans/objectives are met and ensuring these are in line with local and national initiatives and evidence‑based.
* Help manage waiting lists to provide an equitable service across the health economy.
* Assist in providing clinical advice to commissioners, GPs and other AHPs concerning the service.
* Work across organisational and professional boundaries to develop effective partnerships and inter‑agency joint working under agreed strategic direction and frameworks to provide the best possible patient care.
Recruitment Equality Statement
We are committed to equal opportunities and want to ensure our workforce is representative of the population we serve. We welcome applications from all sections of the community and diverse groups. It is essential we understand our demographics, in order that we can monitor our performance as an equal opportunity employer, as well as continuing to embed a culture of inclusivity across the organisation, which supports the active participation and contribution of our diverse staff groups in the Trust's decision-making processes.
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