Generally, there is a view that Podiatrists only cut toenails and nothing else. Whilst they do cut toenails as part of their role, they are trained to do so much more!
A Podiatrist’s primary aim is to improve the mobility, independence, and quality of life of their patients. They specialise in the foot, ankle, and leg, leading their patients through the whole journey of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
With the advent of the FCP Podiatrist role, a patient can be seen at the first point of contact, bypassing the need to see the GP. This means that a specialist Podiatrist can treat the patient early on, reducing both waiting times and improving recovery times. It also means that GPs have more free time to treat other patients and allows the waiting lists for appointments to reduce.
In our experience of working with GP surgeries and Primary Care Networks (PCNs), our Podiatrists can save over 40 hours of GP time in the first month and this rises month on month as the staff at the surgery gain confidence in making the referrals.
Every one of our First Contact Practitioner Podiatrists is a highly-skilled, experienced Podiatrist and works as part of the practice team to support the assessment, diagnosis, early intervention, treatment, and advice of patients with foot complaints. They can refer patients to specialist services at the earliest opportunity, thus allowing the patient to move seamlessly through the system. They are also trained to identify ‘red flag’ symptoms that would require further medical attention.
In terms of benefits, the patient is seen quicker and by the right person. This means that early access to treatment will reduce the time suffering from a condition as well as improve the recovery time markedly. There is also a marked reduction in referrals to Secondary Care as any issues that are identified are resolved quicker, often before a problem becomes chronic.
Reduction of referrals to Secondary Care
Reduced waiting times
Providing Direct access to Podiatry Assessment and expertise
Saving GP time by not seeing foot conditions, meaning that the GP time can be better used elsewhere.
We have been providing First Contact Physiotherapy and Podiatry in Primary Care Networks since 2019. We have drawn on our experience in Private Practice to build a robust model to support an already overworked GP population and their practices.
We understand the challenges faced by Primary Care Networks and GP surgeries and we work together, becoming an integral part of the surgery to ensure that we get the best outcome for patients, first time, every time.
Our highly skilled Podiatrists will be able to work with the reception staff to ensure that the correct patients are referred to them and be present in the surgeries to provide support. They will be able to join local meetings and feedback on clinical outcomes and make onward referrals where appropriate.
We work together with the Primary Care Networks to reduce waste, such as missed appointments and we are proud of the fact that our DNA rate is below the national 8-12% average. We achieve this by ensuring that the reception staff feels confident about explaining the First Contact Practitioner services and that the patient can see the benefit of meeting with a specialist.