Diabetes Foot Service:

Diabetic foot disease is a common complication of diabetes. Within the Diabetes Centre we offer several services for people with diabetes related foot disease.

Darryl Meeking (Consultant Physician), Sharon Tuck (lead Diabetes Podiatrist) and Kate Marsden (DSN) lead the Diabetes Foot Service. They form part of a wider multidisciplinary team comprising of Podiatrists, Orthotics, Tissue Viability Nurses, representatives from the Medical Assessment Unit, Orthopaedic Surgeons, Vascular Surgeons and Vascular Nurse Specialists. This group meets regularly and has achieved national recognition through the Department of Health’s best practice website.

The following services are available to patients:

Medical Podiatry Clinics:  Referrals directly from advanced diabetes podiatrists and General Practitioners are welcomed to this clinic. This runs every Wednesday afternoon between 2pm - 5pm.

Painful Peripheral Diabetic Neuropathy structured Education Groups

The clinic is able to access:

Medical, podiatry and nursing opinion

Multidisciplinary discussion

Urgent X-ray and radiological opinion

Urgent orthopaedic opinion

Opinions from other medical specialties (joint, skin etc.)

Close liaison with advanced podiatrists in the community

 A letter detailing the reason for referral and any relevant medical history should be sent in advance of the patient, marked medical podiatry clinic, to Dr Darryl Meeking at the Diabetes Centre, Queen Alexandra Hospital

Referral Criteria

1. A diabetic foot condition with a medical disorder complicating management
2. A diabetic foot condition complicated by poor glycaemic control
3. Possible underlying bony infection (chronic osteomyelitis)
4. Active Charcot disease
5. Persistent foot ulceration with chronic foot deformity e.g. Charcot deformity
6. Foot ulceration with abnormal foot X-rays
7. A diabetic foot condition requiring additional imaging beyond X-rays
8. A foot condition complicated by atypical skin or joint disease
9. A diabetic foot condition requiring a second opinion from one or all of the multidisciplinary team (podiatry, medical or nursing)
10. Neuropathic Pain

For further information on podiatry services in the Portsmouth City area, please click on

http://www.portsmouthcitypct.nhs.uk/index/services/podiatry.htm

Lead Clinician:      Dr Darryl Meeking

Lead DSN:             Kate Marsden