Transcript - Diabetes high risk foot services video

Annie Williams, A/Director Strategy and Planning:  Leading Better Value Care is a conduit to bring evidence-based care to all of our communities and all our acute health services.

 

Murrumbidgee was one of the two highest levels of amputation across the state and healthcare services and it was really important for us to be able to deliver evidence-based care to these people to reduce the level of amputations.

 

Rebecca Broadbent, Nurse Manager Clinical Practice and Development:  Some of the key challenges we’re bringing together all the relevant key players and developing our model of care. And that person-centred approach really helps us with our holistic assessment of the patient. And I think it provides a one-stop shop for, you know, public podiatry services, wound care, optimising their diabetes and looking at that, the cultural aspect of care particularly for our Aboriginal clients.

 

Dr Lenert (Len) Bruce, Executive Clinical Director Medical Services:  The patient gets referred to the clinic and they receive the care that's required.

 

Annie Williams, A/Director Strategy and Planning:  So, our high-risk foot clinic is one of the early adopters of the patient reported outcome measures.

 

Adam Thompson, Patient:  My GP referred me to the area vascular surgeon and he referred me to the foot clinic. So, Bronwyn's just looked at them and took me straight over to emergency. They told me that I was going to lose a foot. I just didn't want to know anything about it, I was ready to get up and walk out of hospital and just never look back.

 

Owen Elliott, Patient:  The number of young people that were in there with amputations was a real eye-opener. It started off with a blister on my heel that got infected and I ended up having to have an operation in hospital here. And they got me into the foot clinic and had community nurses coming three times a week.

 

Dr Lenert (Len) Bruce, Executive Clinical Director Medical Services:   You cannot have a program to provide healthcare on a scale like this if it's fragmented. It's about consistency, it's a collaboration between us and patients. And patients must take responsibility but also be empowered to participate in their own health.

And there are some patients that are really engaged and they're really proud of the work they do as they should be, and they benefit by being healthy at home instead of being unwell in hospital.

Owen Elliott, Patient:  If you want to stay mobile and healthy, well, self-discipline I think is the biggest thing, I think. The other option doesn't seem very tasteful - to let it get worse and you know, possibly lose a foot.

 

Adam Thompson, Patient:  If the foot clinic wasn't here, I don't know where I'd go. This has been a godsend.