A new deal for chiropody

Press, 20 December 1978, Page 16

A new deal for chiropody

Home & Ffeople

Chiropody, the branch of health care which deals with problems of the foot, is on the verge of a new deal. Until recently only one public hospital employed a full-time chiropodist; a number of others maintained a part-time service.

Now, the Government, as part of its community health policy, wants all hospital boards to develop a chiropody service. Finance from the community tax on alcohol and tobacco is being provided to encourage this.

Up until the end of August, 10 boards had asked for funding to set up services under the community care grants. These boards include the districts of Nelson and Marlborough. Dr Alec Sinclair, the assistant director, division

of hospitals. Department of Health, explains that the chiropodist deals with far more than bunions and corns.

“The chiropodist can prevent the need for surgery or immobilisation,” he said.

Chiropodists deal with mechanical, vascular, neurological, metabolic and infective disorders of the foot; and their work can extend to procedures performed under local anaesthesia.

Dr Sinclair considers that chiropody has tended to be neglected in the past.

“It has a role to play in the health services, particularly for the older people 'in the community. In the past, this may not have been well understood by the public or the medical profession.” He believes that, to be fully effective, chiropodists attached to hospitals should be mobile. While there is already a reasonably well developed private chiropody service available in many areas of New Zealand, the planned hospital expansion programme will provide the public with a choice.

It will also offer a free service for those who cannot afford to pay a private chiropodist.

Dr Barry Taylor, of the Wellington Hospital Board, has found that, in one month, 23 per cent of patients in the geriatric assessment unit required urgent chiropody. An equal number needed non-urgent attention.

“These figures reflect overseas findings,” said Dr Sinclair.

Commenting on the expansion of chiropody, he said that since 1969 chiro-

podists had been registered. “This means that an acceptable standard of competence is maintained." The Central Institute of Technology’s chiropody school and foot clinic at Petone. the only one in New Zealand, was opened in 1970 to provide chiropody training leading to State registration as a chiropodist.

“In the past professional training was generally done overseas or by' apprenticeship, with a trainee seconded to a practising chiropodist,” said the school’s course supervisor, Richard Winder. A full-time, three-year, diploma course is offered to students at the institute. “There are 31 students

in our present, course and we expect this figure to grow to 45 — our maximum.”

A move to new prem ises at Trentham is expected next August.

“We have three fulltime lecturers, all seconded from England. Also, we have five clinical tutors, two of whom are past graduates of the school,” said Mr Winder.

More than 5300 people have enrolled as patients at the school’s foot clinic. Patients are drawn from the entire Wellington region and some travel from as far afield as Taranaki and Auckland for specialised treatment.

“The clinic is open to anyone with foot problems. For our students it provides excellent practical experience as a supplement to lectures.”

Mr Winder said that lack of job opportunities and the $5OOO cost of establishing a practice had tended to discourage young people from taking up chiropody. “But this will no longer be a problem with the extension of chiropody services to the hospitals,” he added. Mr Bond and Mr Winder both said that they did not know of any chiropodist who lacked work.

In his practice Mr Bond said he averages about 100 patients a week, nearly all of them referred to him from the district nursing service, doctors and orthopaedic surgeons. Nearly half his patients are aged 60 and over and another quarter are aged between 40 and 60. Ten per cent are between 20 and 40 and 20 per cent, are aged under 20.

From the Department of Health