Experiences of podiatry services in Barnet
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Healthwatch Barnet carried out a survey of 77 people, and a mystery shopping exercise of 3 areas in Barnet in 2017. The work was done in response to issues raised by members of the public that they were not being able to continue accessing podiatry services in early 2017 due to changes in the qualifying criteria for podiatry treatment.
The report identifies a number of key issues: the cost of nail cutting considerably varies at different locations, ranged from £3 to £250 for specialist treatment, with a private podiatrist. Some podiatry services offer home visits, others provide specialist service to people with diabetes, but this provision comes at an additional cost between £40-£75 on top of the nail cutting price. 62% of respondents said that they had a long-term condition that affected their ability to cut their toenails; 47% of respondents said that they use podiatry services every 1-2 months, while 9% required a family member to drive them or to take multiple buses to get to their appointments. Some references were made about the podiatry service in Edgware Community Hospital.
The report made the following recommendations:
1. An affordable toenail cutting service that offers low-cost services should be commissioned, to be accessible to the local population of Barnet.
2. Increased awareness of and education around toenail cutting is needed for service users, their families and carers to be able to carry out basic foot hygiene and toenail cutting in their own home.
3. Explore the possibility of homecare workers and care home staff having training around toenail cutting, to enable them to safely carry this out and to feel more confident.
4. CLCH/NHS referral criteria for podiatry services need to make clearer who is eligible for NHS services and this information should be made available.
5. Commissioners and/or the NHS provider should produce guidance and information to inform people of what to look for in alternative services (such as qualifications, health screening etc.)