The Royal College of Podiatry publishes new evidence showing the effectiveness of musculoskeletal podiatry services

The toolkit:

• identifies the ideal referral and patient journey;
• reviews the impact of MSK podiatry treatment on patients;
• provides case studies to show examples of best practice;
• uses evidence to outline the costs of running an MSK podiatry service and;
• provides evidence on the most effective treatments for many MSK conditions.

This evidence will eventually be used to develop a full MSK toolkit that will:

• offer a unified approach that NHS and independent practice MSK podiatry services can use;
• solidify the scope of MSK podiatrists’ practice;
• show commissioners, Trusts, and Health Boards that MSK podiatry services are clinically effective and cost effective and;
• seek to establish a long-lasting method for the RCPod to communicate with NHS MSK podiatry provision and vice versa.

The RCPod built this evidence toolkit for use in the NHS and in independent practice. NHS departments can use this toolkit to clarify their MSK podiatry offer. It is hoped that its adoption will encourage a more uniform approach to MSK services across the four nations. Independent practitioners can use the toolkit to develop their own MSK service for their patients.

Dr Helen Branthwaite, RCPod MSK lead, said:

“MSK podiatry services can make a huge difference to patient care and foot and lower-limb health outcomes, and the evidence we present here shows that. We hope that this toolkit will provide a compelling argument to healthcare commissioners in all four nations to consider increased investment in MSK podiatry.

“We set out the MSK podiatry service models that work in the NHS, which will arm our NHS and independent practitioner members with the evidence they need when considering how to build or improve an MSK service in their practice. We look forward to developing a full MSK toolkit in the future.”

You can read Musculoskeletal toolkit for evidencing podiatry effectiveness here.