Podiatry Service are only available to those clients who require care of complex or chronic foot and lower limb conditions. The service is not available to those who only require routine nail care or treatment of minor foot complaints such as superficial corns or callous.

Criteria for Referral to the Service

The service can only offer assessments to clients who have one or more of the following conditions:

• Diabetes Ulceration of the feet (current or history of ulceration)
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Peripheral Vascular disease
• Peripheral Neuropathy
• Acute skin lesions (likelihood of ulceration or infection occurring)
• Acute nail pathology (ingrown or infected)
• Loss of mobility from a foot deformity that requires podiatry intervention to prevent further pathology ie club foot, partial foot amputation bio-mechanical abnormality etc.

If one or more of the above conditions are present, to receive an assessment, the client must also be an:

• Aged pension card holder
• Disabled/Invalid Pension card holder
• Health care card over the age of 60
• All clients who are diabetic can receive a podiatry assessment, irrespective of their age or income status.

Referral Procedures

All new clients or assessments to the podiatry service must have a written referral from a GP, specialist, community nurse, diabetic educator or a member of the Aged & Community Care Service. Medicare funded referrals for private services will not be accepted. All referrals will be processed through the podiatry intake form to assess the urgency of the treatment required. Initial appointments will be based on the outcomes of the intake process.