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The challenge:

Southampton City has a diverse population with a large Polish and Asian community. A survey carried out by Solent West Podiatry Service showed poor uptake of podiatry services by the black and minority ethnic (BME) population. This was of particular concern because of the higher than average prevalence of diabetes in the Black Caribbean and South Asian population.

Aims:

Solent Healthcare wanted to improve access to, and the uptake of, podiatry services by the BME population. They also wanted to offer health education advice to help prevent foot problems developing.

What did they do?

80 percent of Southampton’s BME population lives in one area of the city. The closest podiatry service to this area was three miles away. The podiatry service understood that the best way to reach the BME community was to provide services as close to the population as possible. Their project consisted of 2 phases.

Phase 1 ran for one year. A monthly half day drop in clinic was held at a community centre used by the city’s BME population. The clinic was staffed by community podiatrists who gave patients advice and support and were able to refer them on to a clinical setting for a full assessment and treatment where appropriate.

Phase 2 of the project also ran for 1 year and was influenced by the findings from phase 1. This phase focussed on delivering foot health advice sessions to specific BME groups of patients and carers, to groups of other allied health professionals and to social care professionals. The foot health sessions were adapted to be suitable for the specific audience, but included advice on general foot health and specific diabetic foot problems. Where appropriate interpreters were used at the sessions. Optional drop in clinics were also available after the advice sessions.

The total cost for both phases of the project was just over £12,000. Funding was secured from the local city council and from NHS Diabetes.

What changed?

A twice monthly podiatry clinic is now running at a hospital located within the main BME population area in Southampton. 32 percent of patients attending the new clinic are from a BME background.

The outreach advice sessions are likely to continue and it is hoped each group will be visited once a year.During phase 1 of the project, DNA rates for booked clinical appointments for people targeted by the project were over 50 percent.

Since moving the clinic to a location within the main BME population area this is down to 22 percent.