HC Deb 05 July 2002 vol 388 cc622-3W
Bob Spink

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he proposes to take to remove regional variations in the availability of podiatry and chiropody services; and if he will make a statement. [66341]

Jacqui Smith

We acknowledge there are regional variations in National Health Service chiropody/podiatry services. NHS organisations such as primary care trusts (PCTs) have to prioritise services they provide to meet local demand including chiropody/podiatry services. The criteria used to clinically prioritise will be determined locally by PCTs.

To assist PCTs in meeting this demand, we are committed to recruiting more allied health professionals (AHPs), which include chiropodists/podiatrists, through the NHS Plan target of over 6,500 extra AHPs, and as extended and stated in the "Delivery Plan", there will be 30,000 extra therapists and scientists over the September 2001 baseline by 2008.

Bob Spink

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will resume the collation of statistics for chiropody and podiatry care. [66339]

Jacqui Smith

We continue to collect and publish information annually on initial contacts and first contacts by region with the chiropody services. The only change in the statistics collection was the discontinuation of all face to face contact data from 2000–01.

Bob Spink

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the extent to which chiropody and podiatry services are cost effective in preventing the need for more serious intervention. [66695]

Jacqui Smith

The national service framework programmes are wherever possible based on research evidence. Where this is not possible it is based on expert consensus of best practice. Research gaps brought to our notice from the NSF programmes are priority areas for research in the future.

Chiropody and podiatry services are known to be cost effective in preventing the need for more serious intervention. In diabetes, podiatrists have an essential role in the prevention and management of foot conditions especially in helping to prevent and treat foot ulcerations which may result in amputation. Foot care can reduce complications in people with diabetes by two thirds.1

The role of the podiatrist in falls prevention is acknowledged in the NSF for older people, and chiropodists and podiatrists have been involved in developing both NSFs for older people and diabetes.

1 Audit Commission Report Testing Times April 2000.