§ Helen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what action his Department has taken following the review of NHS provision of chiropody and podiatry services; [58516]
(2) when he intends to publish the review of chiropody services (Feet First II); and if he will make a statement. [58517]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 23 May 2002]"Meeting the Challenge: A Strategy for the Allied Health Professions", published on 15 November 2000, raises the profile of chiropody and podiatry services alongside other allied health professions, and we have no current plans to publish the outcomes of the review of the Feet First.
The NHS Plan commits us to increasing the number of allied health professionals working in the National Health Service, which include chiropodists/podiatrists, by more than 6,500 by 2004. In the 2002 Budget we will build on the 6,500 target and by 2008 we expect the NHS to have net increases over the September 2001 staff census of at least 30,000 therapists and scientists.
We are also committed to reducing waiting times for treatment for vulnerable groups like children and older people. The NHS Plan gives us a target to reduce the maximum waiting time for any stage of treatment to three 691W months. Providing we can recruit the extra staff, and the NHS makes the necessary reforms, we aim to achieve that target by the end of 2008.