Getting a foot in the door: can expanding the role of podiatry assistant improve access to public podiatry services?

Abstract

The aim of this pilot was to evaluate the impact delegation of identified tasks to a qualified podiatry assistant (PA) had on accessibility to footcare services for targeted client groups. The role of PA was defined for the purposes of the pilot. The PA underwent theoretical and practical training and the role was implemented within a community based podiatry unit. Outcome measures included: total number of clients seen, change in available (qualified) podiatry hours through delegation of tasks to the assistant, changes to waiting times for initial and follow-up appointments, adverse events and patient satisfaction. The PA provided footcare to 41 clients during the evaluation period (December 2005 to January 2006 inclusive). Available (qualified) podiatry hours increased by 10 h per week for the same period and waiting times for an initial appointment were reduced from 12 to 2 weeks for the target group and from an ‘indefinite’ waiting period to 12 weeks for follow-up appointments. No adverse events were reported during the pilot. The findings of this pilot have implications for improving affordability and accessibility of footcare services to a significant proportion of the community and reducing the burden on current community based services.