Feet for the purpose ?

Age Concern's Feet for Purpose warned older people are adversely affected by long waiting lists for foot care services in the NHS, with many being forced to pay for private care or rely on charitable help.

The charity found one in three pensioners cannot cut their own toe nails, resulting in two million older people who may require NHS services.

Age Concern warns inadequate foot care can reduce mobility and increase the risk of falls among older people. A lack of chiropody services can therefore leave older people housebound and disabled, it claims.

It has found extreme cases of elderly people attempting to cut their toenails with garden shears of kicking their feet against walls to shorten their nails.

Age Concern is campaigning for chiropody to be included in the government's targets for maximum waiting times of 18 weeks.

Gordon Lishman, director general of Age Concern, said: "Foot care services are failing older people, and a postcode lottery is leaving those in some areas without any services at all.

"Age Concerns do their best to help bridge the gaps in services, but many people are left without adequate foot care. The Department of Health (DoH) must take a lead in resolving this problem."