Treating Patients Where They Feel Most Comfortable: How HomeLink Healthcare Supports the Diabetic Foot Clinic at Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Diabetic foot complications are among the most serious and challenging conditions faced by people living with diabetes. Foot ulcers, infections, and delayed wound healing can quickly escalate, often resulting in lengthy hospital stays or even amputations if not managed promptly and effectively. At Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the specialist diabetic foot clinic plays a vital role in helping patients access rapid, multidisciplinary care designed to prevent complications and improve outcomes.

By extending hospital-level support beyond the ward and into the community with our Hospital at Home services, HomeLink Healthcare is helping to reduce unnecessary admissions, shorten inpatient stays, and improve the patient experience.

Supporting the Diabetic Foot Pathway

The Multi-Disciplinary Diabetic Foot Team at Kettering General Hospital (KGH) brings together Podiatrists, Diabetes Consultants, Vascular Specialists, Pharmacists, and Nursing staff to care for patients with high-risk diabetic foot conditions such as ulceration and infection.

Traditionally, many of these patients would require prolonged hospital stays, and reduces outpatient visits for IV antibiotics, wound care, monitoring, and rehabilitation. However, advances in Hospital at Home services now mean that many clinically stable patients can continue receiving treatment at home, in familiar surroundings, instead.

This is where HomeLink Healthcare adds significant value. Our teams of nurses, therapists, and support staff provide a range of interventions directly in patients’ homes, including:

• IV antibiotic therapy
• Complex wound care
• Clinical monitoring and assessments
• Rehabilitation and physiotherapy
• Personal care and reablement support
• Phlebotomy and ongoing observations

Dr Michael Pierides, Consultant Physician and Endocrinologist, Kettering General Hospital commented:

“Having worked in several hospitals throughout my career and with IV antibiotics in both community and intermediate care services, I can say hand on heart that the service provided by the KGH at Home team is by far the best.

They consistently deliver a high standard of care, always striving for excellence and holding themselves accountable. The team is highly professional — punctual, reliable, and supported by robust processes and pathways that remain open to feedback to continuously improve quality and efficiency.

KGH at Home are exceptional team players and constructive collaborators, creating a truly positive experience for patients. The feedback I see is overwhelmingly positive, and it’s easy to understand why: the staff are kind, caring, and compassionate, and they take a genuinely holistic approach to patient care.

In every sense, this is a service that sets the benchmark for community-based IV therapy and intermediate care.”

Reducing Pressure on Hospital Beds

Hospital capacity remains a major challenge across the NHS, particularly for acute and specialist services. By supporting early discharge and admission avoidance, we help free up beds for patients who require inpatient treatment most urgently.

Our recent case study describing our partnership with Kettering General Hospital highlighted measurable benefits, including patients spending an average of 15 fewer days in hospital and improvements in patient outcomes and service productivity.

Delivering Patient-Centred Care

HomeLink Healthcare’s model aligns closely with the NHS shift toward more community-based, personalised healthcare. Our Hospital at Home services are designed not only to improve operational efficiency but also to enhance patient choice and comfort.

For patients attending the diabetic foot clinic at Kettering General Hospital, this means care is no longer confined to hospital walls. Instead, treatment can continue in a setting where patients often feel more relaxed, supported, and independent.

For diabetic foot patients, this approach can be especially beneficial. Long inpatient stays can impact mobility, independence, and mental wellbeing. Receiving treatment at home often enables patients to maintain more normal daily routines while still accessing specialist clinical care.

The partnership also improves continuity of care. Communication between hospital specialists and HomeLink’s community teams helps ensure that patients receive coordinated treatment plans and ongoing monitoring throughout recovery.

A Modern Approach to Diabetes Care

As diabetes rates continue to rise across the UK, services like the diabetic foot clinic at Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust are under increasing demand. Innovative partnerships with organisations such as HomeLink Healthcare demonstrate how healthcare providers can work together to deliver safe, effective, and compassionate care outside traditional hospital settings.

By treating suitable patients at home, the partnership helps reduce pressure on acute services while giving people living with diabetic foot complications access to high-quality care in the place they know best — their home.

If you think your organisation would benefit from a partnership like this please call us on (020) 3137 5370 or fill in the form below.