Podiatry

What is Podiatry?

Podiatry is the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of conditions affecting the lower limbs. The professionals providing the service are called Podiatrists (formally known as Chiropodists).

All Podiatrists are trained to degree level and are registered with the regulatory body known as the Health Care and Professions Council (HCPC).

Locally, our Podiatrists work in a variety of clinical settings including hospitals, health centres and GP practices.

Purpose of the Service

The main purpose of our Podiatry service is to provide a comprehensive service for adults and children. The services we provide include:

General podiatry (painful corns, callus and nail pathologies)
Nail surgery
Foot & Ankle Clinic (Musculoskeletal Medicine)
Wound management
Foot health education

This list is by no means exhaustive. The podiatry service will offer a foot assessment service for anyone referred to the service with a genuine podiatric need. (At this current time Podiatry are not commissioned to provide social nail care).

Locations of service delivery

We deliver a range of Podiatric services offering specialist advice and/or treatments from a number of community health centres and GP practice locations within the Wakefield district

These include:

Outpatient appointments at Pinderfield and Pontefract Hospitals for patients with active Diabetic foot ulcerations
Podiatry Rheumatology outpatient clinics at Pinderfield, Pontefract and Dewsbury Hospitals.
A Foot and Ankle clinic for adults and children located at Normanton Health centre
Nail surgery: This service is currently delivered from Ossett Health Village and Pontefract Health centre.
A number of general Podiatry clinics are delivered from local health centres and GP practices in the Wakefield district.

Wakefield community clinic locations include: Trinity Medical Centre, Ossett Health village, Chapelthorpe Health centre, Maybush Medical Centre, Chapelthorpe Medical Centre, Outwood Park Medical Centre, Stanley Health Centre, Middlestown Medical Practice, Sharlston Medical Centre.

Other locations to the eastern side of Wakefield include: Castleford Health centre, Kings Medical centre, Normanton Health centre, Church View Health Centre in South Elmsall, Pontefract Health centre The Grange Medical Centre, Pinfold Lane Surgery, Rycroft Primary Care Centre, College Lane Surgery, Featherstone Health Centre, Ash Grove Medical Centre.

How to Access Podiatry Services in the Wakefield District area

Patient access is via a referral from a registered NHS healthcare professional only. For example:

GP (located within the Wakefield District)
Consultant
Specialist Nurses i.e. Rheumatology and Diabetes nurse specialists
District nurse
Practice nurse
School Nurses
Health Visitors
Physiotherapist (employed by MYHT)
Occupational Therapist (employed by MYHT)

This service does not accept self- referrals directly from prospective patients

Conditions we treat

Our service provides specialist advice and treatment of a variety of problems affecting the foot. This includes:

Nail Surgery- the removal of toe nails which is performed under a local anaesthetic.
Treatment of a range of dermatological conditions including corns and calluses.
Treatment of foot problems that develop as a result of other medical conditions e.g. Diabetes, peripheral vascular disease (circulation problem), Rheumatoid arthritis.

Patients can be referred for the diagnosis, advice and /or management of a variety of foot and ankle pathologies.

For example:Adults: Tendinopathies, joint and soft tissue problems. Children: Problems identified in gait (walking) development e.g. flat foot, Severs disease.

Pathological nails: thickened toe nails and ingrowing toenails.
Wound Management affecting the foot.

We do not however provide routine nail care for medically fit patients or social nailcare.

What our patients say

The whole experience was great from start to finish, very professional, made you feel very comfortable.

The Assessment of my foot was very thorough. A diagnosis was made and I was given a support for my foot which immediately reduced the pain, allowing me to walk.

How to Provide feedback

What is the Friends and Family Test?

The Friends and Family Test (FFT) is one way to gather feedback about the care and treatment our patients receive, to help us understand their experiences and improve our services.

We really appreciate your feedback about our Podiatry services. You can leave feedback via the:

Friends and Family Test online

To find our service

Press the blue arrow to begin the survey
Select Community appointment/visit and click the blue arrow
Select Podiatry from the drop-down box (in alphabetical order) and click the blue arrow
Complete the survey questions, pressing the blue arrow on each page until you reach ‘Submit’.