Bunbury high-risk foot care team kicking goals for patients in the South West

The Interdisciplinary High Risk Foot Service (iHRFS) at Bunbury Regional Hospital (BRH) is kicking goals for patients in the South West living with diabetes-related foot conditions.

Established in 2023 after the need for a comprehensive interdisciplinary high-risk foot service in the South West was identified, the Bunbury team is not only delivering care closer to home for patients in the South West, they’re also receiving praise and positive feedback for their hard work, dedication and patient-centred care.

Historically patients needed to travel to the Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH) Multidisciplinary Diabetes Foot Ulcer (MDFU) clinic for foot care, adding regular travel to the list of concerns for people already navigating a complex healthcare condition.

The service is having a significant positive impact, with a recent review by FSH recording a 42 per cent reduction in new patients with diabetes and foot disease from the BRH catchment area needing to travel to the FSH MDFU clinic from 2023–25.

Professional Lead and Senior Podiatrist Jess Harrison said creating an accessible, high-quality service that keeps care closer to home makes a profound difference for people living with chronic and often complex conditions. 

“The work that the iHRFS delivers is incredibly important and it is wonderful that patients are no longer having to travel to FSH for care,” Jess said.

“It is fantastic to see such positive feedback which recognises the dedication and hard work that goes into providing this level of care.”

Director Allied Health Adrian Clarke echoed Jess’s comments, saying that the feedback highlights how hard the team has worked to achieve such an impressive percentage decrease across the two years.  

“Delivering these outcomes, highlights the commitment across the team in improving access and keeping care closer to home for the South West community,” Adrian said.

“This is exactly the kind of service development that makes a tangible impact in improving health outcomes.”