Royal College of Podiatry publishes its strategy for the next three years

The Royal College of Podiatry (RCPod) has published its strategy for the next three years.

The strategy, which was agreed by Council, reflects the themes in the 28 recommendations laid out in the Saks Report (November 2021). It sets out RCPod’s high-level strategic priorities and proposes five key aims:

• Leadership – supporting current podiatry leaders and increasing the number of podiatrists in leadership positions in the UK and internationally;
• Research and data – to build the organisation’s original research capacity and output, using it to present clear evidence and data to inform cases for support, ideas and initiatives;
• Recruitment and retention – to continue efforts to improve recruitment and retention, continually identifying how each is performing and supplying additional support, interventions and resource where required;
• Influencing – to increase influence through political, educational, and service delivery; to increase the presence of podiatry with the public and within healthcare and;
• Perception – to improve the perception of the profession amongst distinct groups, the public, patients, the profession itself, and within other healthcare professions.

The strategy is set in the context of the 28 recommendations found in the Saks Report on what the profession needs to do to survive and thrive. It also considers a continuous overarching commitment towards good corporate responsibility in all guises. The strategy document expands on RCPod’s key priorities over the next three years under each strategic aim.

Royal College of Podiatry Chief Executive Officer, Steve Jamieson, said:

“Our Strategy sets out a new vision for RCPod and our five priority areas have been carefully selected so that the organisation can channel its energies into tackling the known issues. Central to that vision is to increase the number of podiatrists and to do all we can to retain the exemplary practitioners and vital skillsets in the NHS and independent practice. By inspiring new leaders, developing our rich pool of knowledge through research, and deploying better strategies to improve influence and perception, the next three years are geared to move the profession on to a more sustainable place. We agree with our members who have identified that more needs to be done to improve the perception of the profession. We must also continue to deliver our core operations quickly, with no loss of quality or rigour. To that end, all our work has been carefully prioritised so that we can focus on doing fewer things better. While we want to enhance our effectiveness as an organisation, we also know that not everything we want to achieve is best achieved alone and so we will work through partnership with others where we can.”

You can read the RCPod 2022-2025 strategy here.