Supporting the Putting Feet First campaign

Host a Putting Feet Firstworkshop:

By using your Diabetes UK Local Group meeting to host a Putting Feet First workshop, you can help people living with diabetes in your local area avoid foot complications related to their diabetes.

4 out of 5 amputations are preventable, and self-care is a huge part of successful prevention. For the Putting Feet First campaign to succeed, local groups working to support and educate the local community are vital.

Even a quick session can still be enough to give people useful tips on how to look after their own feet and provide details on what they should expect at their annual foot check. Having this knowledge can make a real difference, helping people to avoid amputations and other diabetes foot-related complications.

Below we’ve outlined a model of how you might like to run this workshop. Every local group does things a little differently though so feel free to change things around.

When you have completed the workshop, please remember to fill in the feedback form on the Local Group Portal to let us know how it went.

Preparing for the workshop

There are a few bits and pieces you will need to make sure the workshop is as useful as possible.

Don’t worry if you can’t find a projector to display the PowerPoint; the workshop can still be really useful without it. Maybe consider printing off a few key slides, such as the ones which explain the group activities. The video can be shown on a laptop computer if necessary.

What to use and where to get it

Materials / Where to find them
PowerPoint presentation / Local group portal
Projector / Many community centres or school halls are likely to have one
‘What to expect at your annual foot check’ leaflet / Order or download from
‘Touch the Toes’ leaflet / Order or download from
‘10 Steps to Healthy Feet’ leaflet / Order or download from
Putting Feet First video / Can view online at
For a version you can use without internet access, contact Diabetes Voices via or call 0345 123 2399
Flipchart/ A3 paper / Many community centres / school halls will have this, or use an ordinary A3 sheet of paper affixed to a wall.
Small scrap of paper / Any small piece of paper should be fine
Diabetes Voices postcards or sign up forms / Contact Diabetes Voices via or call 0345 123 2399

Facilitation notes for Putting Feet Firstworkshop event

The detail of this workshop may change a little depending upon who comes to your meeting. If a healthcare professional is in attendance, for example, you may want them to give a short presentation.

You can use as much or as little of this plan as you think useful. We have included a pretty detailed script but you can work with the group to put together something which will work for you. If you have any questions or comments please do get in touch with us at

Time: 55 minutes without healthcare professional presentation; 1 hour and 10 minutes with healthcare professional presentation

Workshop sections / Slides and resources needed / Timings
Welcome / 10 minutes
Thanks to everyone for coming today, what we’ll be looking at should be really interesting as it applies to everyone living with diabetes: how to look after your feet.
For a few details on why foot care is important, and what the Diabetes UK Putting Feet First campaign is all about, we’ll watch this two-minute video.
Change Slide
Question: In groups of 2 or 3, can you discuss what fact or part of the video you found most striking, surprising or powerful? And why did that part stand out? Have a chat for a minute or two then we’ll get your thoughts. / Welcome/ title slide
Slide 2: video
Why is foot care important / 2 minutes
Change Slide
Anyone living with diabetes needs to be aware there is a special need to take care of their feet. Diabetes is the main cause of lower-limb amputations.
You won’t be surprised to hear many people with amputations reportsignificant reduction in quality of life. Even more minor foot problems can significantly reduce mobility.
The numbers of amputations are growing too, which means it is especially important that people living with diabetes have the tools and the knowledge to look after their own feet.
Change Slide
What leads to amputations? Most commonly it is a foot ulcer which fails to heal.
At any given time almost 60,000 people living with diabetes have a foot ulcer in England alone, so getting the right foot care can make the crucial difference.
Change Slide
There is good news though: 4 out of 5 amputations are avoidable with better care.
The tips we’ll go through today should help you keep your feet healthy, and help you help others to keep their feet healthy too.
Of course if you have any worries speak directly with your GP, podiatrist or diabetes nurse. / Slide 3: Why is diabetes foot care so important
Slide 4: What leads to amputations
Slide 5: But….
The diabetes foot care you should expect from health care professionals / 10 minutes
Change Slide
You should have your feet checked by a medical professional at least once every year. If you have been identified as at higher risk of amputation you may need to see a specialist more regularly.
Question to group-ask for raised hands: Who has had a foot check within the last year? (record feedback in attached feedback form)
Activity: With the person sitting beside you, or in small groups, go through the check list and discuss whether all of the below happened in your most recent foot checks.
Ask for feedback via show of hands: Let’s go through the list-hands up if your last foot check involved
Note: Using the ‘What to expect…’ pamphlet go through each part of what the foot check should involve. Record numbers who have had each part of the check.
If anyone is concerned that you may not be getting the full check, just bring this leaflet along at your next medical appointment.
If medical professionals mention that they were unaware of the resource previously, suggest they visit Diabetes UK’s website which has many more free materials specifically aimed at helping healthcare professionals deliver quality foot care. / Slide 6: What to expect at your annual foot check
Copies ‘What to expect at your annual foot check’ Diabetes UK leaflet on tables.
Leave slide 6 up whilst activity is happening
Put up slide 7 when moving on to feedback.
Flipchart paper to write down responses summary on / Give 3 minutes to go through each part of the check and record responses.
What you can do to protect your feet / 15 minutes
Change Slide
So that is how medical professionals should be helping you keep your feet healthy.
You may only see these medical professionals a couple of times each year though, and for the rest of those 360 or so days you’ll probably be looking after your feet by yourself.
Diabetes UK resources also offer plenty of self-care support. Pamphlets like ‘Ten steps to healthy feet’ and the ‘Touch the toes’ test can be ordered for free from the Diabetes UK online shop. You can find these two pamphlets on your table and please do take these home with you.
Activity: Let’s use one of these pamphlets now. Take the ’10 steps to healthy feet’ leaflet and read through the ten steps. On a piece of paper, write down how many ‘steps’ you think you take. Don’t add your name, just write down the number, and I’ll collect.
Again you can speak with the person beside you or in small groups about the 10 steps.
Note: Collect the pieces of paper from around the room. Thengo through these numbers at the front, making a note of the number of responses for each figure.
As we can see, there is a bit of variety in the numbers, and you can imagine that in the wider community of people living with diabetes there is significantly less awareness than within this group.Just by coming here this evening we have shown an active interest in diabetes foot care.
Touch the toes test: The Touch the Toes test a simple and quick test which assesses the sensitivity of your feet. This can help spot an increased risk of foot problems and then catch any issues at an early stage.
As you may prefer to keep your shoes on here, you can try this test out at home. / Slide8: What you can do to look after your feet
‘Ten steps to healthy feet’ and ‘Touch the toes’ leaflets should be on placed on tables before this activity.
Pieces of paper to write a number on and hand in
Flipchart sheet with a ‘1 to 10’ horizontal line written on it to record average number of ‘steps’ taken by attendees. Can attach to a flipchart or a wall.
Slide 9: What you can do to look after your feet. Touch the toe and 10 steps to healthy feet
(If a health care professional is in attendance, you can ask them to do a question and answer session ) / 15 minutes
As we have our podiatrist/diabetesnurse/GP in attendance, we thought it would be useful to get their thoughts on diabetes foot care in this area, how it can be accessed and why it is important.
Note: Ask healthcare professional to speak for around 5 minutes.
OK, now does anyone have any question for our healthcare professional regarding diabetes foot care?
Note: Allow 5-10 minutes for questions depending on demand. / Leave slide 9 on screen
What you can do to support the campaign / 15 minutes
I think this evening shows that one of the challenges of quality foot care is making sure everyone has the right information.
Note: Group activity: In small groups, have a think about what we as a local group can do to help people living with diabetes get better foot care and support the Putting Feet First campaign generally. Just one idea will be great. Afterwards we’ll have a look at a few of the activities we suggest.
Your ideas don’t have to completely new and ground breaking. Some of the simplest suggestions can have the most impact locally.
Ask one group at a time to explain their idea.
Great ideas there and you have touched on what our slide was going to suggest anyway.
Having come here tonight and heard about the issues in-depth, you are in the perfect place to help take action. Make sure foot check leaflets and foot care guides are available in local medical facilities and other relevant places.
You can get all of the foot care materials we have used today on the Diabetes UK Shop. All materials can be delivered to your door for free, or you can download them and print them off yourself.
If health care professionals are not aware already, you can let them know resources and guides are available from Diabetes UK on how to deliver top quality foot care.
You can also share the Putting Feet First video we saw earlier with others, using email, social media or showing it at community events like this. / Slide 10: How can help others get good foot care?
Click one to make title appear then leave until after the activity.
After the activity and feedback collection click to make other suggestions on the slide appear.
Thank you for coming / 3 minutes
Well that just about covers everything for the today.
You can find more about the Putting Feet First campaign on the Diabetes UK website.
If you want get involved you can sign up as a Diabetes Voice for all the latest opportunities to get involved in the campaign.
Thanks to everyone for coming this evening, I hope you found it useful and learned a little about diabetes foot care.
Foot care really is very important to everyone living with diabetes so please do try to spread the word as much as you can. / Slide 11: Thank you for coming / Raise Your Voice postcards or Diabetes Voices sign-up forms should be present on the tables