High Risk Foot and Podiatry Service - Royal North Shore

The Royal North Shore Hospital High Risk Foot and Podiatry Service (HRFS) uses a multi-disciplinary team approach to manage patients with complex lower limb pathologies due to a variety of medical presentations.

The main aim of the HRFS is to provide the best care possible for patients with high risk lower limb complications in order to prevent further lower limb ulceration, infection, hospital admissions and lower extremity amputations.

The HRFS provides care to patients admitted to hospital and within the outpatient setting.

To be eligible for a review in the outpatient service, you must reside in the areas serviced by RNSH and have any of the following conditions:

•  Active Foot Ulceration and/or associated infection
•  Active Leg Ulceration and/or associated infection
•  Active Neuropathic Fracture or Suspected Neuropathic Fracture (Charcot Neuroarthropathy)

The HRFS liaises closely with other medical departments including:

• Vascular
• Orthopaedics
• Infectious Disease
• Renal
• Endocrinology
• Allied Health: Orthotics, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy
• Wound Clinical Nurse Consultants and Community Nurses

Podiatrists within the RNSH High Risk Foot Service provide a high level lower limb wound care to patients within the acute inpatient setting including but not limited to, the emergency department, severe state-wide burns unit, and intensive care. This involves the assessment, diagnosis and management a wide spectra of high acuity lower limb complications including complex leg and foot ulcerations of varying aetiologies, cellulitis, osteomyelitis and pressure injuries.

Podiatrists within the service possess an advanced knowledge and skills related to lower limb vascular assessment and foot/leg ulceration management, oedema management as well as experience pulsed jet lavage, ultrasonic and larval wound debridement therapy.
 

• Any recent X-Rays of your lower limb
• Any recent pathology results
• Frequently worn footwear

If you have any of the following conditions, and live within any of the LGA’s serviced by Royal North Shore Hospital

• Active Foot/Leg Ulceration and/or managed Infection
• Active or Suspected Neuropathic Fracture (Charcot Neuro-arthropathy)

In the instance of a low-acuity non-complex presentation, the patient may be de-escalated to the Ryde Hospital Podiatry Service for ongoing review

Your GP must send a referral via email to:  NSLHD-ACCReferals@health.nsw.gov.au

We also accept referrals via fax : (02) 9463 1065

To be eligible for a review, you must reside in any of the following Local Government Areas:  North Sydney LGA, Ryde LGA, Hunters Hill LGA, Lane Cove LGA, Willoughby LGA  or referred by the Brookvale Community Health Centre podiatry service.

Referral into the Royal North Shore High Risk Foot Service is via a general medical practitioner (GP) or in-patient unit discharge summary.

Nursing staff and Allied health professionals who wish to refer patients must attach a medical practitioner referral letter alongside theirs.

Referrals for patients residing outside the Royal North Shore/Ryde catchment will be directed to their local service following referral triage. The patient will be contacted to advise them of their local service and a letter will be sent back to the GP outlining this.

Once triaged and care has been accepted the patient will be contacted by an Administration Officer and offered an appointment

Can transport be organised for people to attend?

The Royal North Shore Hospital podiatry department does not offer a transport service

Is there a cost to patients to attend the clinic?

There is no cost to attend the podiatry department

Additional information:

Podiatry services are provided on an ongoing basis to patients with an identified clinical need. All patients will be assessed against clinical risk factors for foot pathology.

People found to have no active risk factors will be discharged to community providers of foot care.