Lower limb care took centre stage as the EDFN held its second national conference, with delegates hearing from a host of experts in diabetic footcare.
The online conference saw specialists share best practice, latest research and case studies, as part of the EDFN’s drive to reduce variations in care and provide a focus for strategic developments.
Topics included:
- ICS changes and the potential impact on pathways of care for patients with a foot ulcer – David Thorne, Director of NHS Insight and Interaction at Mtech Access Limited and Development Director of Well Up North Primary Care Network.
- Developing and implementing mental health services within diabetic podiatry teams – Catherine Bewsey, Counselling Psychologist and Diabetes UK Clinical Champion
- Implementing the National Wound Care Strategy Programme’s recommendations for care in a community-based podiatry service – Advanced Podiatrist Ruth Woods
- Health inequalities and access to services – Nure Alam, Specialist Podiatrist in Community Care Diabetes.
A popular segment was the discussion, ‘The role of podiatry: Essential or dispensable? From the eyes of a Consultant Diabetologist and a Vascular Nurse Consultant’, between Dr Leanne Atkin, from the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, and Professor Michael Edmonds, from King’s College Hospital in London. The discussion, which was chaired by Derek Thomas MP, Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Diabetes, looked at the value of podiatrists within multidisciplinary teams, their impact on amputation reduction, and the workforce issues the podiatry sector is facing.
Conference delegates also heard two abstract presentations:
- Foot emergency action team (FEAT) – managing diabetes foot complications in the clinically vulnerable during COVID-19
- The CONNECTPlus App: a patient-focused, interactive, education App for people at risk of diabetic foot disease
Listen to the conference in full here.
The EDFN National Conference was sponsored by Dermatonics. The company did not have any input into the content of the conference, but delivered a short delegate address.
