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Hi

Can any one recommend a private supplier for orthopaedic footwear in the South-East?

Thanks

 

Hi Zaffie,

If I can recommend myself?!

I work for the London Orthotic Consultancy. We can provide a range of footwear from stock to fully bespoke. If you are interested and would like to come and visit us before referring please give me a call at the clinic.
The web address is www.londonorthotics.co.uk

 

Hi,

Sorry, I'm only just picking up this thread from the weekly update. Can I ask a few questions?

1. Is the footwear for you or for a patient?
2. Do you want someone else to do the whole process or do you want to be involved as a professional. ie measuring etc
3. What is the primary goal of the orthopaedic footwear - function or cosmesis?
4. What is the age and sex of the person receiving the footwear?

I know they seem like spurious questions but I use several different companies depending on what I am looking to acheive and also based on cost.

If you let me know the above, I could give you an idea of several different people to see/contact.

Hope this helps

Robin

 

Hi Robin

answers to your questions:

Footwear for 67 year old male patient (not my patient seen as an emergency for colleague)

RA and DM history of ulceration in feet problems with tissue viability?

Do not want to be involved in manufacture do not have sufficient knowledge of process

Have written to GP to ask for referral for orthopaedic footwear, GP seems reluctant

Saw this poor bloke recently in bad weather and he was wearing sandles (couldn't get anything else on his feet)

Thanks

Regards

 

Firstly, the GP should be ashamed, I would continue to pursue it and detail the risk of not using orthopaedic footwear given the h/o ulceration. Explain that the blame will rest mainly on him/her should this chap end up with an amputation as the recommendation for preventative methods was made.

In the meantime, it sounds like you need to refer the patient to a private orthotist/private orthotic clinic. The chances are that treatment will be custom made footwear with partially corrective/partially accommmodative total contact insoles. Cosmesis is likely to feature low on the agenda for priorities. in terms of cost, assuming that the prescription is for diabetic orthopaedic custom made footwear, it will be in the range of £750 - £1000 inclusive of clinical costs. If custom footwear is not required - ie modular fotwear, then that cost may be reduced to as little as £500-£750. Totally dependant on the level of deformity

I don't know about the prices of the people/clinics I am about to list, a bit of digging would be required.

The previous poster for LOC, I don't know personally but part of a group of orthotists who are generally accepted to be good - I haven't heard any bad reports.

Clinicians that I know who are good are

Graham Moore - T and S Orthotics. They have a clinic in Croyden. The clinic is on an industrial estate but the clinic area is nice and Graham is a good clinician with a lot of experience both in the Uk and in the US

http://www.tandsorthotics.co.uk/node/133

Gary Gordon - Wimbledon Clinic. Not sure about the clinical setting but I suspect probably quite nice. Gary is an well respected clinician with a lot of experience in diabetic feet.


http://www.wimbledonclinics.co.uk/wim2c10gordon.php

Anne Marie Ryan - I don't know personally but I know she does some private clinics in the south east. I don't have any contact details for her unfortunately so you may have to do a bit of internet trawling. She is a well respected orthotist in the foot/ankle diabetic world.

I don't think your patient woudl go far wrong seeing any of the above including the LOC orthotist. It will probably come down to cost and location proximity.

If your patient was prepared to travel further afield, the options open up considerably so if this is an option, let me know and I'll see what else I can think of

Regards,

Robin

 

In some areas the orthotic dept at an NHS hospital can have a direct referral from a podiatrist or physio or other clinician. You could ask this man's local orthotic dept (may be called appliance dept) how referrals are made and whether it can only be from a GP or consultant. The NHS will supply 2 pairs of shoes (usually with moulded insoles) for free.

 

Dear Zaffie,
If your patient has to pay for his own footwear and was in any of the services [or his partner] the british legion can be approached and are very helpful with cash assistance in
hardship/deserving cases.
sister

 

the GP should be ashamed!

this patient needs to be referred to the local NHS podiatry department and will be seen as a priority due to the VERY high risk. It is common for patients who havew been on steriod treatment for RA to dvelop concurrent Diabetes and this vastly increases the risk of ulceration and amputation.

the podiatry department will see this patient and sjould refer into the diabetes foot clinic where they will bne referred for NHS footwear.

this adheres to the National Service Framework for the diabetic foot which has been accepted as the gold standard by NIHCE (NICE).