Podiatry and High Risk Foot Service - Hornsby Hospital

We treat people who are at high risk of developing foot problems. 

 
We perform general treatment and wound care for problems such as toenails, corns, wounds and infections. 

 
We see people for biomechanical assessment for mechanical problems such as flat feet, bunions, heel spurs, joint pain or conditions requiring orthoses or inner soles. 

We perform nail surgery.

We see and treat people who meet the following high risk medical criteria: 

• Diabetes 
• Foot Ulceration/cellulitis/warm oedematous foot 
• Partial or total foot amputation due to vascular/neurological complications 
• Significant peripheral vascular disease (PVD or PAD) 
• Rheumatoid arthritis with significant foot deformity 
• Neuroarthropathy 
• Peripheral neuropathy/neuropathic symptoms 
• Renal failure – chronic/dialysis 
• Spina Bifida 
• Transplant recipients 

• Relevant pathology, x-rays or other imaging
• List of current medications and drug allergies
• Your referral letter from your GP/Specialist
• Your Medicare/DVA Card

Your GP or non-GP specialist is always your first step in seeking treatment for any condition. To access the service you must be referred by a GP, the referral must clearly state how you meet the high-risk foot eligibility criteria.

If you are aged over 65 you will be required to contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 to request access to this service, unless you have an urgent referral such as current foot ulceration, infection or acute Charcot's Neuroarthropathy. 

Once we receive the referral it will be reviewed by our team and you will be notified of the outcome and next steps. Please allow at least 4 weeks for this process to be undertaken. We only see patients face to face as we provide physical assessment and care.

 
Please note that phone calls from the hospital will appear as a blocked number.  Please answer our call if you can and/or turn on voicemail to allow us to leave you a message.  

A referral from a GP or another specialist is required to access our services.

To ensure that our resources are directed towards those in most need we have a selection criteria to determine what problems can be seen in our clinic. The below information is mainly for GPs and other referring clinicians. 

Inclusion criteria

High-risk foot - Refer urgently:

• Lower limb ulceration
• Active or suspected lower limb infection
• Suspected or confirmed Charcot neuroarthropathy
• Critical limb ischemia
• Gangrene

Podiatry:

• Lower limb neuropathy
• Lower limb vascular disease
• Inflammatory arthropathy
• Diabetes
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People
• End-stage renal disease or renal transplant recipient
• Previous foot ulcer
• Previous lower limb minor or major amputation
• Inactive Charcot neuroarthropathy

Exclusion criteria

• Patients who do not meet medical high-risk criteria
• Those who reside outside of LGA catchment areas of Hornsby and Ku-ring-gai

The following information must be included for a referral to be accepted

• Name of clinic e.g. Rehabilitation Clinic 
• Date and duration of referral (GP referrals accepted for either a 12-month period or indefinite) 
• Referrer's name, address, provider number and signature 
• Patient's details - name, date of birth, address, phone numbers, Medicare number/Department of Veteran Affairs number 
• Provisional diagnosis and reason for referral 
• Finding/treatment to date 
• Significant medical history 
• List of medications 
• Relevant social information 
• Need for interpreter and preferred language 
• If applicable, the most recent letter from any other physician, e.g. Cardiologist 

Referrals with insufficient information will be returned to the GP until further information is provided to the clinic.

 
Providing more information will aid the triage process and make it more likely that you will be seen in the most timely manner possible.  Please submit referrals using the eReferral system through HealthLink, which can be accessed through most clinical software systems. 

 
Referrals will be triaged and you will be notified of the outcome as soon as possible. This process may take between 1-4 weeks. You will be contacted if more information is needed.   

If you are aged over 65 you will be required to contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 to request access to this service, unless you have an urgent referral such as current foot ulceration, infection or acute Charcot's Neuroarthopathy.

Australian PodiatryAssociation – Find A Podiatrist.