The Podiatry Integrated Career and Competency Framework for Diabetes Foot Care (TRIEPodD-UK, 2012) was developed in response to the need to identify and standardise clinical competencies in diabetic foot care, from clinical practice through to research and leadership. It is the first podiatry clinical competency framework underpinned by theoretical components. The framework is the product of collaboration between a number of individuals, professional bodies and organisations with an interest in diabetic foot care. To increase the accessibility of the framework, TRIEPodD-UK have developed the document you are reading now, which is a “user’s guide” to the framework.
TRIEPodD-UK recognise that podiatrists and podiatry assistants are key healthcare professionals in the delivery, monitoring and design of diabetic foot care services, and are increasingly leading these services in the UK. This framework is an important tool that will facilitate benchmarking of existing skill sets, and guidance for the professional development of podiatrists who are keen to become specialists and service leaders within diabetic foot care. As it spans all levels of practice – from healthcare technicians to consultant practitioners – managers and services providers can use the framework to assess the scope and competency of their workforce. Many of the competencies are transferable, and the framework can be adapted and used by other healthcare professionals involved in diabetic foot care.
The over-arching goal of the framework is to ensure that people with diabetes have their feet cared for, based on their level of risk, by healthcare professionals with appropriate skill sets regardless of where in the UK they live. We hope the framework will be widely adopted.
