Some 875 diabetic patients have been forced to wait longer than they should for their annual foot checks due to staffing issues in the podiatry service.

A reader, Mr A, who wishes to remain anonymous, contacted the Examiner after he discovered that his wife, who is diabetic, had not had a foot check for two and a half years.

A diabetic foot problem, if undiscovered and left untreated, can in the worst cases lead to amputation.

NICE guidelines state that diabetic patients with a low risk of developing such a problem should have a foot check annually.

Those with a moderate or high risk, such as patients with previous ulceration, should be checked more frequently.

Mr A’s wife belonged to the low risk group and has since had her foot check.

However, in the course of correspondence with the Minister for Health and Social Care, David Ashford (pictured right), he was offered a meeting with a manager at Community Health HQ at which he discovered some alarming statistics.

Standards

They include:

â?¢ Out of the 1,430 clients subject to NICE prescribed annual diabetic review, 875 are not being seen within the 12 month timescale

â?¢ A few outlier patients have not been reviewed for three and a half years

â?¢ The failure to meet NICE standards goes back two years

It was also revealed at the meeting that this failure was due to staffing issues within the podiatry service.

Mr A said: ’There is meant to be a team of 10 staff delivering the service.

’But only five employees are in post, and three of them are on sickness/maternity absence, which leaves the team without a qualified podiatric team manager.

’This staffing crisis leaves the remaining staff having to fire-fight to provide a vital service to those patients with ongoing serious foot complications and with insufficient time to provide NICE level preventative care to all other patients.’

A DHSC spokesman told the Examiner: ’The shortfall is a matter of concern to the department, which is looking at ways to overcome it.

’Delays are affecting routine annual checks and not those with existing problems.

’Patients with a foot ulcer are rebooked by podiatrists at the end of each appointment to ensure continuity of care, and many of these patients are seen on a weekly basis.

Crisis

’Patients who contact the podiatry appointments department with a new problem or urgent issue are booked into reserved slots which are part of the appointments system.

’Patients who do not currently have a problem but have a high risk of developing one are usually seen every six weeks and are booked automatically by the podiatry administrative team.

’Due to high demand this six week schedule can run to eight weeks at times.

’Routine patients seeking appointments are currently put on a waiting list and contacted when a slot becomes available; all patients are informed to contact the service in an emergency.’

The spokesman added: ’A number of front-line posts for podiatry professionals have been advertised, including three new staff roles. Recruitment to this specialist area is difficult, but efforts are being made to attract the high quality staff the service requires.

’In order to meet increasing demand, an additional podiatry assistant will be appointed to a pro-active, preventative role in the community, advising and educating staff in care homes, patients and their carers.

’In the longer-term there are plans to locate podiatry teams in the south, west, central and northern areas as part of the Integrated Service Plan.

’Podiatry clinics and home visits are due to start in the west of the island in September.’