Campaigns & issues

Good foot care is crucial in helping older people to stay active and independent. But many older people struggle to care for their feet due to sight impairment or arthritis‚ or they simply can’t reach their feet to cut their toenails.

• Nearly 1 in 3 older people are unable to cut their own toenails
• More than half of new episodes of foot care are for people aged 65 and over
• In the past eight years there was a 20% drop in the number of treatments in NHS chiropody of new patients

Despite rising demand for foot care services‚ more and more Primary Care Trusts are rationing these services. They do so by:

• Tightening their eligibility criteria so that only people with major problems can get the service: in many cases toenail cutting services are completely withdrawn
• Reducing the money they invest in these services
• When basic foot care services are available‚ the follow-up appointments are at long intervals (normally 3 months)

Although waiting times for services have increased‚ these are ‘hidden’ because they are not counted in official national waiting list statistics.

Often when PCTs withdraw foot care services‚ they suggest to clients that they should ask relatives‚ friends or neighbours to cut their nails for them. This suggestion makes many older people feel angry‚ disappointed and let down by the NHS.

How does lack of foot care services affect older people?

Older people are the main users of foot care services‚ so cuts in services affect them more than any other group of people - an example of indirect discrimination.

Lack of quality foot care services leaves people housebound‚ isolated and depressed and increases the risk of falls.

In particular‚ the most disadvantaged older people‚ who cannot afford to pay for private treatment to just get their toe nails cut‚ are forced to go without and suffer discomfort and pain.

 

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