In partnership with NHS England, the guide has been created by NHS Employers to allow NHS organisations to develop their own podiatry services efficiently and effectively – ensuring safe routes to care for patients and communities.
NHS England has estimated that the need for podiatry care will increase by up to nine per cent between 2023 and 2025. To match the pace of demand, NHS Employers has provided advice on how to integrate it into or transform current trusts’ services.
BCHS’ podiatry service has been used as an example of how trusts can revamp current services following serious incidents and increasing attrition rates.
After conducting an entire review of the last 18 months of the podiatry service, BCHS has implemented a workforce transformation programme to combat staff shortages and ensure all employees feel sufficiently supported to continue their professional development.
Emma Stoneman, who is the Deputy Therapy Lead at Bedfordshire Community Health Services, said: “We’re really pleased to have been able to support NHS Employers with its new guide for podiatry services.
We’ve seen here at Bedfordshire the benefits of undertaking a comprehensive review into what does and doesn’t work, and we hope other services across the country will conduct their own analyses to better-serve patients in England.”
Full details about what BCHS faced, actions taken as well as full results and benefits seen from implementation can be found here. The entire updated podiatry toolkit is available via NHS Employers, here.