Podiatry Department (FOI)

Request

I’m looking to gather some data about the podiatry department at the hospital and private podiatry in the island, specifically statistics about the following. Please could you share any resources or point me in the right direction to help me with writing a research-based report. I am looking for data to tell us:

A

How many patients the podiatry department at the hospital sees / treats each year

B

The most common type of concern patients present

C

The most common age group of podiatry patients treated by the hospital

D

If public podiatry care is provided anywhere other than the hospital

E

How many nail surgeries are carried out each year

F

How many podiatry practitioners there are working in the hospital, including podiatric surgeons

G

How much is spent on public podiatry per year / how much budget is allocated

H

How many referrals from GPs the hospital department receives each year

I

What education / self management is offered to patients

Response

A

Please see below the count of patients attending a Podiatry outpatient appointment per year. This does not include inpatient and domiciliary activity. Each patient is counted once only in each year.

B 

Diabetes foot pathologies (active or historic ulcers / charcot arthropathy / neuropathy / callosities).

C

From 2015 to 2020 the mode age group seen in outpatient clinics is 71-80 years of age.

D 

Diabetes Centre (seven full-day clinics over four days by three staff members).

Approximately every two months: Visits to Sandybrook Nursing Home; St Saviour’s Hospital, Clinique Pinel.

Ad-hoc domiciliary visits every 1-12 weeks depending on foot pathology.

E

The table below shows count of surgical procedures performed each year based on OPCS (procedure) codes in the range S64 – S70 which Includes extirpations of nail bed, excisions of nails and other operations on nail beds and nails. Note that clinical coding is only performed on procedures performed in Main Theatres and the Day Surgery Unit. Minor procedures performed in an outpatient clinic setting are not coded and therefore will not be counted in the figures below.

F

As of 15 September 2021:

2.2 x Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) Podiatrists, one of whom is a locum due to recruitment delays, working across Jersey General Hospital and all locations listed above. Current hospital provision is three full days per week, mostly biomechanics and high-risk routine care is provided by one podiatrist in overbooked clinics. This includes inpatients. Clinics are overbooked due to delayed recruitment of a diabetes specialist podiatrist. There are currently no dedicated podiatric surgeons employed by Health and Community Services.

G 

The Podiatry Service annual budget is £147,000.

H

The table below shows counts of outpatient referrals to HCS Podiatry where the source of referral is recorded as ‘General Practitioner’:

 I

The following education / self management is offered to patients:

• low / moderate risk patients – demonstration of self-care techniques and verbal advice on hygiene, emollient use, footwear.

• high-risk patients are given more tailored advice according to their foot pathology.

• diabetes patients are given education on the risks of diabetes related foot pathologies and how / when to ‘SOS’ (Self-refer) for treatment in addition to Multi-disciplinary Team (MDT) input / education from Endocrinologists, Diabetes Specialist Nurses and Dietitians.