An article by Michelle Stafford, Clinical Lead for Diabetes Foot Care, South East Clinical Delivery and Networks, has been published in this month’s issue of ‘Diabetes & Primary Care’ (Vol 22 No 4 2020).
“This has been a great opportunity to promote the key messages to our primary care colleagues on the importance of timely referral of diabetes foot problems, to help reduce avoidable admissions during the Covid-19 restriction,” says Michelle.
“The aim of the article is to highlight the work of the diabetes podiatrists across the south east region, and how we have been adapting our working practices to continue to deliver care for our most vulnerable patients.
“We have increased our domiciliary caseloads for those self-isolating/shielding, and our MDFTs (multidisciplinary foot teams) have maintained accessibility through virtual link up. Additionally, we have been working much closer with primary care staff and community nursing teams to help improve referral pathways.
“This article highlights the ongoing need to educate healthcare professionals and patients to be more aware of the risk of diabetes foot complications. Patient education and daily foot checks are integral to early recognition of problems, along with prompt referral to diabetes foot teams. Furthermore, it recommends that healthcare staff complete a certified e-training ‘diabetes foot assessment’ to help standardise diabetes foot assessments in primary care.”
