Diabetic Foot Clinic
On this page:
We are a specialist service providing advanced care for active diabetic foot problems.
Services provided:
- Wound care. This includes debriding (removing) dead tissue to promote wound
- healing, specialist dressings and pressure relieving techniques. Advanced treatments such as larvae therapy and negative pressure therapy are also available.
- The management and treatment of diabetic fractures (Charcot Neuroarthropathy).
- Casting for wounds and Charcot foot including total contact casts, heel casts and soft slipper casts.
- Working as part of an integrated multidisciplinary team with Diabetes, Orthopaedic and Vascular consultants.
- Work closely with specialist Orthotists to provide bespoke insoles and footwear to patients who have had diabetic foot problems.
- Referral access to imaging such as X-Ray, MRI and vascular scans.
Access to microbiology and radiology teams for quick advice and guidance. - St Georges team also provide an inpatient service to all patients with active diabetic foot issues on St George’s wards and to A&E / AAA.
Opening hours
Thomas Addison reception phone number: 0208 725 1429
Opening Times (Last scheduled patient seen at 15.15, Last SOS patient seen at 16:00):
Monday 8.30am – 4.30pm First patient slot 8.45am
Tuesday 8.30am – 4.30pm First patient slot 8.45am
Wednesday 8.30am – 4.30pm First patient slot 9.15am
Thursday 8.00am – 4.00pm First patient slot 9.15am
Friday 8.30am – 4.30pm First patient slot 8.45am
Closed on weekends, public and bank holidays. If there are any urgent issues on these closed days please attend A&E.
Treatments
Referrals
Wandsworth DFU Referral Pathway
Referrals are only accepted from GPs or other Healthcare professionals; unfortunately self-referrals will be declined. Fax and paper referrals are not accepted.
Referrals accepted:
Diabetic Foot ulcers
Suspected Diabetic Fractures
Active foot problems requiring MDT input
Suspected foot infection
Critical Ischemia
Referrals not accepted:
Nail cutting
General Chiropody
Biomechanics / sports injuries
Leg ulcers / wounds above ankle
Compression
Diabetic Foot Screening
Vascular issues not relating to a diabetic foot ulcer (please refer directly to vascular).
For community podiatry please visit the ‘podiatry’ page for more information on how to refer.
How to refer to us (for healthcare professionals and GPs only):
Patients can be referred to the diabetic foot clinic using the Diabetic Foot Clinic referral form and the team will aim to get in touch with the patient by one working day.
Please follow the Wandsworth referral pathway to ensure relevant patients are referred to our service. We accept referrals for patients in the ‘Active’ category of this pathway.
A&E referrals:
We accept referrals from A&E as part of the extended MDFT pathway – please use our A&E referral form when referring from A&E.
Eligibility
Patients can be referred from the South West Foot Network areas (Croydon, St Heliers, Kingston and Queen Mary’s Hospital). Those who are seen and then healed, with a GP outside of Wandsworth, will be then be discharged to their GP’s CCG foot protection team and community clinics.
Patient emergency walk-in appointments
Known patients may call our reception line and asked to be put through to the diabetes foot clinic to make an emergency appointment during the opening hours. The following are examples of what could happen before your scheduled appointment and when you would need to call us:
- The dressings come off
- The foot is infected or you see tracking redness coming from the foot
- You have an issue with the dressing
- You think the cast may be rubbing you or there is pain inside the cast
- You have been given antibiotics by us and you think you have had a reaction to them
- Your Negative pressure therapy machine has stopped working
If you have these issues please do not wait till your next appointment and give the Thomas Addison Unit a call (see number below). If foot or dressing emergencies occur over the weekend and public holidays attend A&E.
For medical issues including breathlessness, cardiac and asthma related issues it is advised you attend your GP or A&E departments.
Wandsworth DFU referral pathway edited
Traffic Light Wandsworth Pathway 1 sheet
What to expect on a first appointment with the Diabetic Foot Clinic
Each patient will have their medical history, and foot vascular and neurological status checked. Both feet will be checked at each appointment and a plan will be made between the patient and the podiatrist dependent on the consultation’s findings.
The following items are useful to bring to your first appointment:
- Ideally the Diabetic foot clinic would have received medical history and medications for each patient in the referral. As this is not always the case, it is ideal that a patient brings with them a list/ blister pack of their medications with them.
- Blood sugar control is very important in the process of wound healing. If home blood sugar testing is done, a blood glucose diary would be very helpful to bring along.
- It is helpful when the patient brings their normal footwear with them to the clinic. Inappropriate footwear is a major cause of diabetic foot ulcers. By letting the podiatrist know what the patient’s normal footwear is, footwear issues can be ruled out early on in the treatment plan.
- Since the clinic specialises in wound care certain dressings and treatments such as casting may make tight trousers and tights difficult to remove later that day. If wearing Tights bring a spare pair of socks and try and wear trousers that can easily slip over something bulky on your feet just in case.
Each patient should receive education how to look after the feet, dressings and taught what to do in an emergency or infection in the foot.
MDT Days
We have specialist multidisciplinary (MDT) sessions every Thursday morning. Only MDT members can refer into the MDT sessions from current outpatient and inpatient patients.
We also have a Tuesday afternoon clinic with the Endocrinologist consultant and two sessions on a Monday and Thursday afternoon with the Orthotist department.
