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Additional resources

Podiatry provide assessment, management and foot health education to individuals with conditions affecting the lower limb, enabling self-care and self management where possible. We have highlighted some of the most common problems below and created resources which you might find helpful in supporting your foot and lower limb health issue.

Self Management Resources

Making an appointment

If you feel you need to speak to a podiatrist, then the details on how to do this are outlined below. It is likely that your first contact will be by telephone so we can triage you appropriately to best support your needs. Our consultations are delivered in various ways, including telephone, video, group education as well as face to face.

Please note, podiatry does not provide personal footcare. Please refer to the ‘Personal Footcare’ heading above

Telephone – 0800 592 087 or 0141 347 8909

Monday to Friday 8.00am-8.00pm and Saturday 9.00am-1.00pm

Email

email – AHP.appointments@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

Meal Ideas – Recipes

Get Started Classes

Psychological Educational Talks

Dietetic Apps

Physical Activity Apps

Psychological and Wellbeing Apps

Lifestyle Diary

At the Specialist Weight Management Service (SWMS), patients are encouraged to take a realistic approach to weight loss. We want to challenge the notion of ‘going on a diet’. Unlike some fad diets, SWMS is based on current expert opinion and research evidence. Patients are asked to explore not only what they eat, but also when they eat, why they eat and how they eat.

SWMS encourage dietary and lifestyle changes that are realistic, achievable and that can be sustained in the long-term. The focus is improvement in health, through healthy eating and realistic weight loss, rather than striving for the perfect figure or an ideal bodyweight.

Lifestyle Intervention

The 12 week programme made up of 7 fortnightly sessions. Each session lasts 1.5 hours which covers information and support on diet, activity, and behaviour change strategies.

A Personalised Dietary Prescription (PDP,) is calculated based on height, gender, age, weight and level of physical activity. The Eatwell Guide outlines a healthy, nutritionally balanced diet that allows for personal food choices.

The minimum target weight loss in the lifestyle intervention phase is 5-10kg (11.5 lbs to 1.5 stone). This equates to a steady weight loss of 0.5-1kg (1-2 lbs) a week. 

Dietary topics covered include:

• The Eatwell Guide and portion control
• Regular meals and planning
• Eating out and takeaways
• Practical tips and recipes
• Shopping and food labelling

Dietary Support

Dietary Apps

Self monitoring using online apps are becoming more popular. They are a quick and convenient way to assess and track dietary intake. You can download apps on your smart phone – some of which are free and very easy to use.  Some commonly used dietary apps are listed below.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) Standards

The prevention and control of infection throughout healthcare is everyone’s responsibility and is a major component in the drive towards a safer NHSScotland.

These Standards are one part of the drive for a safer NHSScotland, so should be seen as complementary to HAI and patient safety work undertaken by other bodies, e.g. Scottish Patient Safety Programme (SPSP). These Standards for HAI apply to all healthcare environments in which patients are treated.

To access our various publications and reports categories, select below. 

Recommended Links

• GIRFEC Frequently Asked Questions – start here for answers to the most commonly asked questions about Getting it right for every child
• A set of leaflets explaining more about GIRFEC  for ‘named persons’ and parents
• Find out more at the main GIRFEC website from the Scottish Government
• Further GIRFEC guides and resources
• Follow Getting it right for every child on Twitter

Local Authorities across our Health Board area are partners in GIRFEC

• West Dunbartonshire
• East Dunbartonshire
• Glasgow City
• East Renfrewshire 
• Renfrewshire
• Inverclyde 

• Outbreak and Incident Management Plan
  
• Staff Screening Guidance
  
• HAI Communications Strategy – IMT Guidance
  
• Incident Management Process Framework

Please read the following information and then use the links at the bottom of the page if you are looking for further information or exercise.

Jump to Exercises and Advice section

Important Facts About Your Ankle

Here is a list of the main problems and concerns we would recommend you get checked out by a health professional before starting self-management exercises. These are called ‘Red Flags’ and may indicate a more serious problem that requires medical assessment.

Symptoms that are present After Trauma

If your symptoms are caused by a recent traumatic incident (e.g. a fall, football tackle) and you have any of the following symptoms:

• Extensive bruising and/ or swelling
• Discolouration e.g. your foot looks pale, blue or red
• Severe pain and very limited movement
• Joint deformity eg foot looks like it is in the wrong place
• New lumps and bumps that appear after the trauma
• Great difficulty putting weight through your leg
• Numbness/ tingling into your foot after trauma
• Feeling of instability

Please Note: If you have a known diagnosis of osteoporosis (low bone density) a small amount of force may cause problems that require medical assessment.

Symptoms where No Trauma was Involved

• Sudden loss of active movement with or without pain
• Redness, heat and swelling of the joint/ surrounding area
• Increasing numbers of joints that are painful and/or stiff
• Fever or generally feeling unwell at same time as your foot pain developed
• Unexplained numbness/ tingling into your foot
• Constant pain which does not change with rest or activity
• Significant worsening pain at night
• Unexplained weight loss and/ or a previous history of cancer
• Unexplained lumps and bumps that appear or are changing/ growing
• Difficulty lifting the front part of your foot/ catching or dragging your foot when walking

Please Note: Special attention should be taken if you have a history of long-term steroid or immunosuppressive drug use, recent joint replacement, recent steroid injection, rheumatoid arthritis or other joint disease, recent infection, Intravenous drug use or alcohol misuse.

Our colleagues in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Podiatry team have developed a range of information resources for specific foot conditions – see what resources are available.

Foot and Ankle Exercises

Please make sure you have read through the important information about foot pain before proceeding.

Here are some beginner-to-progressive exercises to help you get your foot/ankle moving better. You may need to build these exercises up gradually.

You may be uncomfortable when you start doing these exercises – make sure the level of discomfort feels acceptable to you and that it doesn’t take too long to settle once you are finished.

The exercises should get easier the more consistently you manage to practice them and this may allow you to progress to more difficult exercises.

These are self help exercises:

• Try to enjoy the exercises and work at a pace and level that feels safe.
• Please use a common sense approach when deciding which ones to try.
• The exercises listed are not designed as an alternative to professional advice.

• IPC Education Strategy 2023 and Appendix 1- Modules / Learning Opportunities
  
• IPC Communications Strategy 2024
  
• IPCAT Schedule and Process Strategy 2022
• Annual IPC Programme 2024 – 2025
• Assurance and Accountability Framework

IPCAT (IPC Audit Tool) User Guides:

• SICPs Tool – Acute/MH
• QA Tool – Acute
• QA Tool – MHP
• Updated SICPs Clinical Area Summary Document (Oct 22)