Delivering higher value health and care
Hywel Dda UHB - Implementing Healthy Footsteps a Partnership Approach with Podiatry and the Education Programme for Patients (EPP) in Hywel Dda
In January 2017, the manager of the Pembrokeshire podiatry service approached the Education Programme for Patients (EPP) to explore whether there was a different way of supporting those people referred to their service for a routine referral. EPP began a search to see if an educational session had been developed anywhere in the UK to support people caring for their feet.
Evidence and documentation were collected by EPP, and a programme was identified that had been developed by NHS Fife Podiatry department supported by the Scottish Government. This programme was then discussed at several team meetings and changes made to provide support related to local services and guidelines.
A pilot was developed to deliver a programme of 6 patient education sessions in partnership with podiatry running in 3 areas across Pembrokeshire. Evaluation of each pilot session was planned and comments were recorded from the service users who attended the pilot programmes to gain feedback and make any changes if needed.
Potential volunteers were identified from collected feedback forms and the service users who attended the programme, and these pilot users were invited to become lay tutors. A ‘Healthy Footsteps Train the Trainer’ programme was then developed for staff and lay tutors.
569 routine referrals were sent to EPP to invite on to Healthy Footsteps from April 2017 to November 2017, with 12 programmes completed across Pembrokeshire. In the 8 months April-October 2017, since the new podiatry pathway has been operational, routine waiting lists have reduced from 364 to 125 which is a reduction of 66%. Breaches of waiting (14 weeks plus) numbers have reduced by 58%.
The outcome of the pathway has resulted in improved access to the service for routine patients, more appropriate referrals, and clinic slots freed up for patients with complex podiatric needs.
