Injections of medicines including  intra and peri – articular injection therapies

 by HCPC registered Podiatrists with POM-A annotation

Qualified podiatrists who are awarded licences in POM-A (prescription only medicine- administration), as either part of their undergraduate degree or as stand-alone qualifications are given statutory permission to administer medicines by injection that they may lawfully access**. The POM-A licence also contains a specific permission to obtain (without the usually required prescription) :  a range of injectables which include various local anaesthetics, adrenaline (epinephrine) and the anti-inflammatory synthetic steroid methylprednisolone. This permission continues whilst said podiatrist remains on the statutory register of the Health and Care Professions Council, and ceases should they leave, or be removed from, the stated register.

Whilst so registered they can legally obtain**all of the medicines above, including the steroid, and administer** them, without further training or permission.

However, it is a requirement of safe and responsible practice that podiatrists with POM-A  must ensure that they a) have a full and detailed understanding of the pharmacology of said medicines including their pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (essentially how the body affects the drugs and the drugs affect the body) and b) they have suitable medical indemnity insurance for use of the items above. In respect of the local anaesthetics, a) is included in the approved courses which grants POM-A ,  so b) is included in most malpractice policies. In respect of the licensed steroid however, the Institute requires the completion of an approved course which explains, in substantial detail, the action of when TO use, and perhaps even more importantly when NOT to use the permitted steroid.  By virtue of the holding of a POM-A licence it is clear that the holders are already trained and safe injectors and the simple techniques of safe administration will already be known, but nonetheless, these are specifically restated (with some practical tips and information pearls) during the course and delegates to the course will readily grasp the analogy between  local anaesthetics and steroids.

To this end, the Institute’s course is designed by, and taught by, highly qualified podiatrist independent prescribers and due to its carefully designed structure permits the Institute’s insurers to offer insurance cover to allow members who have successfully attended the Institute’s approved course to commence its use independently without requiring further permission or ‘mentoring’. **Prescription-only-medicines that usually require prescription by a recognised prescriber can, where defined by law, be made available to defined members of certain legally regulated professions under statutory ‘exemptions’ to the 1968 Medicines act and its numerous subsequent amendments. The exempted substances may be purchased at retail or wholesale from regulated pharmacies or other legal UK sources. Note that ‘administration’ in the context of the above must be within the professional activities of the aforesaid practitioner with the said ‘exemption’.  The exemption is not in law a ‘prescription’ and does not permit mixing of medicines,  nor does it permit the holder of said exemption to direct  others to mix and or administer them (a patient specific direction from a registered prescriber is required for directing others to mix/administer) The position of epinephrine is less well determined by the above, as this falls within the parameters applying to medicine identified as being within schedule 19 of the 1968 medicines act (and amendments) wherein its legal category is relaxed when used with the provable intent of saving or preserving life in an emergency situation.

18th October 2023

An official statement regarding Platelet Rich Plasma has been issued by the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

MHRA Platelet Rich Plasma

An Introduction To The Foot and Its Common Problems in the Adult

By David R. Tollafield

The Institute of Chiropodists and Podiatrists are excited and proud to have commissioned this dynamic and important handbook, by way of an introduction to everything you need to know about the adult human foot.

The challenging subject of foot and lower limb mechanics is admirably clarified and easy to follow in this 180-page paperback, Pocket sized book. Well- illustrated, clear and informative, this book will appeal to podiatrists and foot health practitioners at all levels, whether you are new to the anatomy and workings of the foot or as a reference for reminder. This book will also appeal to other professions and healthcare professionals who have an interest in the foot.

David worked closely with IoCP board members during his talented creation of this seminal publication, including Bill Liggins, Consultant Podiatric Surgeon and Editor of the IoCP journal ‘Podiatry Review’, and the Chair of the IoCP and medicines specialist Gaynor Wooldridge.

The Institute’s Director of Education, Consultant Podiatrist Martin Harvey, commented; “This book will be of inestimable value as an aide memoir for the experienced and essential reading for the student of the foot as well as other healthcare professionals. It is neither patronising to the experienced nor needlessly complex for the newcomer. A genuine Tour de Force”

Written by Helen Rawse

To read this article please click here https://iop-uk.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Bullous-Pephigoid.pdf

Case Notes is a regular feature in the IoCP quarterly publication – Podiatry Review. Every member will have seen unusual patients and/or will have unusual conditions which will be of interest to the readership, colleagues and peers.

Case Notes is an expansion on your own medical notes ensuring you do not identify the patient, unless you have written consent.

We welcome all submissions of your findings to be featured in our Podiatry Review, please contact media@iop-uk.org for more information or to submit your case!

Health Education England is launching the standards for the foot health support workforce.

The Foot Health Standards are part of work which aims to increase the supply of podiatrists in the NHS, while expanding the role of the support workforce. The Standards will ensure that the NHS recognises the knowledge and skills of the wider foot health support workforce.

The Standards were open to consultation in late 2020. The responses of stakeholders have been used to further develop the Standards and to better understand the issues and challenges around this topic.

The Standards are intended to support the NHS in utilising the full skills mix of the foot health workforce to meet demand, by providing a clear understanding of the footcare treatments that the NHS podiatry support workforce and foot health practitioners can safely perform. The needs and safety of patients is central in this work. Employers and managers can use the Standards to effectively plan, develop, and deploy their support workforce.

From our work with support workers and services across the country we know there is wide variation in their education and training, and how they are deployed. This work will ensure that:

1. Patients and service users have access to skilled and consistently well-trained support workers who have a defined role within their team
2. support workers have access to development structures that provide opportunities to follow a richer and more rewarding career pathway
3. services can address the current variation in support worker roles, banding and progression
4. support worker roles can be at the heart of improvements in service delivery and transformation, including new models of care.

The main objective is to increase the supply into podiatry and ensure that the NHS recognises the knowledge and skills of the support workforce.

How to use the Standards

NHS managers can use the Standards to understand the treatments that different parts of their foot health support workforces can safely deliver. This will support them in ensuring that they have in place workforces with the skills mix they need to care for patients. This will help managers design services to meet increased patient demand.

Education providers can use the Standards to underpin the development of educational pathways into the NHS podiatry support workforce and onto pre-registration education and training programmes in podiatry. This will support the development and growth of the support and podiatrist workforce

The development of the Standards was overseen by a Consortium of Foot Health Leaders who gathered to address the problem of the falling recruitment numbers on traditional routes into podiatry. The priority of the Consortium was to develop a foot health career ladder and educational resources that will support and increase the number of podiatrists and podiatry support workers working in the NHS.

The work of the Consortium has enabled a better understanding of the workforce that provides foot care, with the aim of optimising this workforce for the benefit of those who use the services of any practitioner, in England, who work in this arena.

To view the standards visit Standards for the Foot Health Workforce | Health Education England (hee.nhs.uk)

8th September 2021,

Health Education England have today launched The First Contact Practitioners and Advanced Practitioners in Primary Care: (Podiatry)

A Roadmap to Practice is a supportive document that provides a clear educational pathway from undergraduate to advanced practice for clinicians wishing to pursue a career in primary care.

For more information or to download the document please click the link below

First Contact Practitioners & Advanced Practitioners – Podiatry | Health Education England (hee.nhs.uk)

A national patient safety alert has been issued for the use of Liquefied Phenol 80%.

Please click the below image to read the full alert.

We are delighted to announce we have signed a memorandum of understanding with the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association. This establishes a solid partnership setting out the intention of our two organisations to work together to ensure good care for people living with and affected by MND.

Six people per day in the UK are diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND). MND is a rapidly progressive and terminal disease that attacks the motor neurones in the brain and spinal cord.[1] It can leave people locked in a failing body, unable to move, talk and eventually breathe. It affects people from all communities and a person’s lifetime risk of developing MND is around 1 in 300. It kills a third of people within a year and more than half within two years of diagnosis. There is, currently, no cure for MND and whilst research into one continues, other research and therapeutic efforts are firmly focussed on managing symptoms and maximising the quality of life for people living with it.

We will be working with the Association as a therapy group that may be in a position to sign post patients to their GP if we suspect there is an underlying cause to the symptoms we are presented with

[1] 1 Bäumer D, Talbot K and Turner MR. Advances in motor neurone disease. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 2014; 107:14.

If you have any questions or would like to know more about the Association please visit their website www.mndassociation.org which holds excellent information resources, information about current research and contact information MND Connect helpline. Alternatively contact Jennifer Bedford at Jennifer.bedford@mndassociation.org.

 

Additionally, if you are a Podiatrist and have any experience of Motor Neurone Disease we’d love to hear from you. Email our team media@iop-uk.org

Today, the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) has launched its annual Diversity Data Survey to increase its understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) among its registrants. The survey will help the HCPC create and develop strategies, policies and regulatory processes that are inclusive and fair.

Jacqueline Ladds, Executive Director, Policy and External Relations comments:

“We’re committed to being an inclusive and diverse regulator and ensuring that our services are accessible and free from discrimination. We’ve launched this survey so that we can get a better understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion across our professions and use it to inform our improvement work in these key areas.

“We’ll use the findings to help create and develop policies, regulatory processes and strategies, which accurately reflect the diversity of our registrants. That’s why we are asking all our registrants to get involved, to ensure they complete the survey and to spread the word using #HCPCMyEDI.”

As part of HCPC’s commitment to enhancing equality, diversity and inclusion across the professions, the regulator hopes to hear from all HCPC registrants in this survey, which will be open from 15 December 2020 – 14 March 2021.

Since last year, HCPC has pushed for a stronger focus on EDI, with the development of a strategy to engage all stakeholders on these issues. The organisation has also created an EDI Forum, which guides HCPC on a range of relevant issues and concerns. The Forum also provides advice on the development of HCPC policies and procedures. The HCPC also routinely undertakes equality impact assessments for all major pieces of work.

Jacqueline Ladds, Executive Director, Policy and External Relations continues:

“We want to understand the issues that our registrants face and identify the measures that can be put in place to support them better. Our first Diversity Data Survey last year provided a good starting point, but this year we want more registrants to get involved to help create a deeper understanding. We know that sharing this kind of data is incredibly personal, and can feel daunting, but doing so will help us implement the best regulatory policies and processes for registrants and for service users and patients.

“As well as increasing our understanding of the equality, diversity and inclusion issues and challenges faced by our registrants, it will also create a picture of HCPC registered allied health professionals, healthcare scientists and practitioner psychologists in all four countries of the UK, working across health and care settings. This could help address wider workforce planning issues, and boost the understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion issues across the sectors.”

 

IOCP Midland Regional Director David Ayres has represented The Institute of Chiropodists and Podiatrists and our membership at the HCPC’s EDI development meetings.

 

Notes to editors

The Health and Care Professions Council is an independent regulator set up by the Health and Social Work Professions Order 2001. The HCPC keeps a register for 15 different health and care professions and only registers people who meet the standards it sets for their training, professional skills, behaviour and health. The HCPC will take action against professionals who do not meet these standards or who use a protected title illegally.

The HCPC currently regulates 15 health and care professions. Each of these professions has one or more ‘protected titles’. Anyone who uses one of these titles must register with the HCPC. The full list of protected titles can be found here.

Requests for interview should be made through the HCPC Press Office on 07585 992 942 or press@hcpc-uk.org.

We are delighted to have welcomed so many new members. We are run by podiatrists for podiatrists, and with your continued support and invaluable feedback we continue to grow, expanding our connections and networks to bring you the best support, advice, collaborations and of course our unrivalled insurance packages!

Key benefits of IoP membership 2024:

• Community Trade Union – pay monthly trade union advice and support with FREE online learning
• Discounted rates with HMCA
• Regional networking
• Exclusive access and discounted rates to our CPD courses and events

…and all existing membership benefits, including access to industry leading malpractice insurance, quarterly Podiatry Review, monthly e-newsletters, and more interaction with our elect committee for help, advice and support when you need it!

Terms and Conditions of membership

Membership of the Institute of Podiatrists is granted at the absolute discretion of the Membership Committee.

Membership is not an automatic right, it is a benefit for members who adhere to our reasonable rules and treat other members, staff and partners with respect.  We may, in the event of misuse of membership, using reasonable discretion, decide to suspend or terminate your membership at any time.  Failure to pay membership fees is not the only reason to terminate membership, conduct and misuse of membership can also lead to that result, such as, but is not limited to, behaviour which is troublesome or shows lack of respect towards fellow members, staff, or partners; criminal actions; or actions which are generally perceived to be immoral, unethical or contrary to the IoP’s membership rules.  In the event of an application being declined or membership being terminated no correspondence will be entered into.

4 easy ways to renew:

1. Renew online – simply sign in to the members area here iop-uk.org/members/login/

2. Pay by bank transfer 

3. or by direct debit 

4. By phone 01704 546 141

or

join us by visiting https://iop-uk.org/application-form/ leave your details and we’ll do the rest!

NOTE: Colleagues applying for membership from the Republic of Ireland who wish to take advantage of our insurance, please be aware the insurance is tailored to your scope of practice and our insurance partners may need to discuss this with you prior to agreeing cover and premium.