Podiatry

The St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney Podiatry Department specialises in the treatment of conditions of the foot and ankle. Podiatrists work with a team of health professionals to prevent, manage and improve foot problems and conditions that place individuals at risk of hospitalisation and amputation. 

The department is comprised of:

1. High Risk Foot Service 
2. Community Podiatry Service.

High Risk Foot Service (HRFS)

St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney offers an interdisciplinary “one stop shop” for people with complicated foot conditions related to Diabetes. Patients see a podiatrist and endocrinologist with involvement, as required, of an Orthopaedic Surgeon, Vascular Surgeon, Rehabilitation Specialist, Infectious Diseases Specialist, Pedorthotist, Diabetes Educator, Dietitian and/or other allied health professionals. This allows patients to reduce the number of visits to the hospital and also improves coordination of their care between the different health services. 
We also accept referrals for people without Diabetes. They are attended to by High Risk Foot Podiatrists in satellite clinics throughout the hospital including Vascular Surgery, Fracture Clinic & Rehabilitation. 
Referrals accepted from: General Practitioners, specialists and podiatrists
 
Eligibility: Patients aged 18 years and over with one or more of the following foot conditions:

  • Foot Ulceration (acute or chronic)
  • Suspected foot Infection (including cellulitis and osteomyelitis)
  • Suspected or diagnosed acute Charcot foot

How to refer:

Step 1: Please include: 

  • Referral reason including duration of complication, mechanism of injury and previous treatment 
  • Medical History including type of Diabetes, past medical history, current medications and recent HbA1c
  • Any other relevant information/investigations (e.g. inflammatory markers, culture results, radiology reports)
  • Up to date contact details for the patient.
  • Other relevant information including if a translator is required, if they are ambulant or require the Next of Kin to be present. 

Step 2: To facilitate rapid triage email referral to SVHS.HRFS@svha.org.au or fax to 8382 3327  
Referrals are triaged for clinical urgency by a Senior Podiatrist.
 
Step 3: The HRFS will contact your patient to arrange an appointment.

In addition, for urgent diabetic referrals (including suspected osteomyelitis or acute Charcot foot) please discuss with the registrar on-call:

  • During office hours (8.00am- 4.30pm, Mon-Fri, excluding public holidays) call the Diabetes Centre on (02) 8382 2622, and ask to speak to the Diabetes Registrar
  • Out of office hours call the hospital switchboard on (02) 8382 1111 and ask to speak to the Endocrine Registrar on-call.

For urgent non-diabetic referrals please contact the Podiatry Department Manager on (02) 8382 3178 or present to the emergency department. 
 

Community Podiatry Service

The Community Podiatry service provides care and treatment to individuals who are unable to care for their feet themselves. The service includes an annual assessment to determine your risk of developing issues or complications with your feet and on-going regular treatment to help manage and prevent these complications from occurring. 

This service provides podiatry care to individuals who have a referral through the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP). CHSP helps senior Australians access entry-level support services to live independently and safely at home via My Aged Care (MAC).  

To be eligible for this program, you must live within St Vincent’s Catchment area and be aged:

  • 65 years or older (50 years or older for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people), 

OR

  • 50 years or older (45 years or older for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) and on a low income, homeless, or at risk of being homeless.

How to access the Commonwealth Home Support Program: 

Step 1: Contact My Aged Care on their website: https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/ or by calling 1800 200 422 to coordinate a referral. 

Step 2: My Aged Care requires a face-to-face assessment that will determine eligibility and ensure that the right services are made available to those that need them. The assessments are normally at your home, but can be arranged for another location in some circumstances. 
If you would like our service to provide podiatry please request St Vincent’s Podiatry as the service provider.

Please be advised that home visits are determined on a case-by-case basis by a senior podiatrist and are only available for patients that are completely housebound. 

Step 3: Once a referral has been received, a member of the department will be in contact to arrange an initial appointment with the Community Podiatry service.

Please call 8382 3178 or email SVHS.Podiatry@svha.org.au for any other queries