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.