Maria Latemore

It’s been an honour to have been an APodA Board Director and I’m excited at the opportunity to be re-elected. I’ve developed a great insight into the function of the Board, APodA and how the Board supports its members and the profession at a strategic level. I’ve had the opportunity to work with a diverse and highly skilled group of Directors, further developing my own growth as a Director and team member. Issues surrounding Aged Care were one of the areas as a Director, I brought to the forefront of the Board which led to being elected to participate and represent the APodA and the profession on the ROSA Primary Health Care Research Study committee and the Aged Care Standards Clinical Expert Working Group. I was also fortunate within my term, to have assisted in developing the new strategic directions, which enabled me to share my extensive experience and knowledge of the profession to help shape the future of APodA, the support it will provide its members and to the community.

I’ve had various leadership roles including a Senior Podiatrist where I was responsible for managing podiatry services across 7 country towns, a Clinical Advisor for a metro public sector organisation and worked as a WorkCover Podiatry Consultant. These roles facilitated the development of my high level clinical and corporate governance skills which are crucial to being an effective APodA Board Director.

I’m currently the Founder and Director of Podiatry Services SA, and we have an extensive home care, NDIS and podiatry locum service. Its success has been due to my high level of clinical expertise, leadership and knowledge about the podiatry profession and recognising the service delivery gaps that exist within communities.

Competencies and skills relevant to the role:

I have a genuine interest in advancing the profession and building it to be an integral and valued service in all areas of health care. I’ve represented the profession and specific podiatry clinical areas on many committees. I’ve participated in the development of the Submission to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and the APodA Podiatry Guidelines in Residential Aged Care Homes. I’m currently a member of the UNISA Podiatry Student Advisory Committee and the Allied Health Professions Associations Committee. These roles have assisted me to gain competencies and skills in leadership, advocacy and working as part of a team to achieve key performance indicators and strategic goals.

I’ve always maintained a clinical podiatry role, as I believe it helps with keeping abreast with the ever-changing requirements and competencies of being a health professional. I continue to work across many clinical areas and service types and continue to advocate for the profession to work at its full scope of practice. I’ve worked with many community groups in a variety of settings including working with indigenous communities which has assisted to broaden my understanding of the need to evolve health care services to ensure better and equitable foot care for the community.

As a leader, committee member and working podiatrist I’ve gained holistic knowledge and awareness of various policies, clinical governance requirements and risk management responsibilities which are key factors in being an effective APodA Board Director.