// NEWS & SPECIAL INTEREST

Posted on 19 Jan 2008

Standards of Care for Musculoskeletal Foot Health Services

The Podiatric Rheumatic Care Association (PRCA) is pleased to announce the completion of a document which sets out standards of care for foot health services for people with musculoskeletal and rheumatological conditions. Commissioned by the PRCA and funded by the ARC, it is the first time that consensus Foot health service standards have been widely consulted on and agreed nationally.

Foot health services in the UK available to people with musculoskeletal problems lack consistency and integration. Only half of all rheumatology departments report adequate foot care services and fewer than 1 in 10 have formal care pathways or mechanisms for referral. It is important that all members of the musculoskeletal care team understand the foot health needs of their patients, and are able to play their part in ensuring that people with musculoskeletal conditions are able to access the appropriate services.

People with musculoskeletal conditions often present with complex needs, and it is easy for foot health problems to be overlooked. Assessment of the feet is not straightforward. Where an assessment is performed, the management of foot problems is sometimes not well understood, or is only supported by relatively weak evidence. This result is that foot problems are often neglected, and services providing for them relegated to Cinderella status.

The purpose of the standards document is to provide a benchmark by which foot health services may be evaluated by all stakeholders. A series of standards encompass the entirety of foot health service provision, supported by evidence-based justification and suggestions for foot health service configuration and implementation. Arrived at by consultation and consensus of the UK musculoskeletal, foot health and service user community, the statements describe specific standards, the achievement of which will result in services that genuinely meet the varied needs of the musculoskeletal community. The standards are directed toward all those involved in planning, delivering and receiving foot care and provide clarification of roles and responsibilities. Best practice examples are provided throughout to illustrate how these standards may be put into practice.

The standards reflect the fact that foot health needs in the musculoskeletal community are many and varied, and that the mechanisms for addressing these myriad needs should reflect this diversity. The standards cover the complex needs of people who require dedicated, hospital-based specialist foot care services, as well as those requiring more basic community based care or improved social support.

The standards will be launched at the Spring BSR / BHPR meeting in Liverpool 22nd-25th April 2008.

Robin Waxman
Project Manager
Standards of Care for Musculoskeletal Foot Health Services