Diabetic hails 'hero' medics who saved his foot from being amputated when he suffered severe infection

Martin Bunning, 46, has nothing but praise for the diabetic foot team at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust.

The sales assistant, from Billingham, has had diabetes for years and first needed treatment from the team in March when he got an infection in his foot.

It was so severe that he had to have one of his toes amputated.

Martin said: “I was told the infection (osteomyelitis) had gone into the bone and I could lose the foot. After I had an MRI scan, I was told that having the toe amputated could save the foot – thankfully that has been the case.”

He said the doctors and ‘all of the staff were so empathetic – it really was phenomenal.

“The team always explained everything to me and helped settle any concerns I had and put me at ease.

“They have always been there for advice and support and I have always felt safe coming into hospital throughout the whole pandemic. They have even told me off for walking on the foot when I shouldn’t have been!

“They are real NHS heroes.”

The team has maintained the same high quality level of care over the last few weeks despite challenges they have had to overcome around social distancing and self-isolation – as well as a reduced patient transport service.

The team have continued to run all patient appointments face-to-face.

And they have done that no matter whether it has been at hospital of visiting patients at home.

The team has been led by orthopaedic consultant Paul MacKenney and associate specialist and diabetes lead Seema Ijaz who have been proactive in ensuring patients get the very best care during a challenging period.

Claire O’Malley, highly specialised podiatrist, said: “Due to the high risk and complex health needs of our caseload, our patients are seen a minimum of once a week – this has not changed.

“Throughout this pandemic we have delivered a seamless service with easy access for our patients. Any that have been shielding have been seen at home by members of our team who have visited them.

“It is always safer to see the patient in person and isn’t appropriate for our patients to have virtual appointments. We need to physically see the foot, check the temperature and assess it to have a clear idea how the patient is doing.

“The hospital ward rounds have also been able to run to full capacity. This has ensured patients still receive the excellent care they deserve to help prevent hospital admission for acute infections and amputations.

“Not only have all our outpatient clinics across both sites been running, the podiatry team have had to overcome further challenges with patient transport running a reduced service.”

The community podiatry team has also been hugely active with visits to high-risk patients with diabetic foot ulcers.

Claire added: “The morale in the team is high as we all have the common goal of delivering excellent patient care and are delighted that, due to dedication of the team and support of management, we are continuing to do so.”

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