Prison podiatrists on the front foot to fight preventable illness
People in prison are among the most vulnerable groups in our society - and this means they are more likely to have complex healthcare needs.
As healthcare provider at prisons and immigration centres in the East of England and East Midlands, NHFT is responsible for delivering the right care and support for their populations.
Importantly, this helps reduce the need for people to be transported outside of those secured settings for treatment, which comes at a higher cost to the taxpayer.
Behind this work are the dedicated NHFT healthcare teams whose commitment and expertise reaches thousands of people every day. Just one of these is the small but highly skilled Secured Services Podiatry team, who between them cover 12 sites across
Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire.
The service has been shaped by Clinical Lead Helen Gaunt (pictured above centre), who is supported by her former students, Advanced Podiatrist Claire Eyles (above left) and Specialist Podiatrist Samantha Bucknall-Hughes (above right).
A large part of their work involves providing routine diabetic foot care, offering regular checks and helping to prevent serious complications that can end in amputation if left untreated.
Alongside this they offer a whole range of footcare services, from treating potentially dangerous ulcers and performing surgery for ingrowing toenails to providing everyday advice for good foot care and hygiene. The team also works with the NHFT Diabetic High-Risk Foot Service Orthotics Laboratory to ensure people with certain foot conditions can access specialist inshoe devices to improve their mobility and reduce pain.
Helen has built up the service from scratch, using her connections from a period teaching at the University of Northampton's School of Podiatry to bring students in on work placements. This has led to Claire and Samantha securing permanent roles with the team - and it's a successful approach Helen hopes to develop for the future.
"What we do is really important - we save feet, we save lives and we do a great job of keeping our patients out of hospital," says
Helen.
"I'm really proud of the university links I've made and I want to grow that now that we've taken on a few more prisons in recent months. I never thought I'd work in a prison but I love what I do and want to attract more people like me, who want a role where they can really make a difference and that gives them opportunities to progress."