Chartered Scientist, Chartered Biologist, Researcher, Expert Witness (Podiatry).
What happened to the progress of UK Podiatry over the last 50 years or so? When I first qualified (1971) I went straight into NHS work - totally uninspiring at that time, and with little prospect of promotion. In 1973 I attended my first major post-qualification course, run by the Croydon Post-Graduate Group - a total eye-opener. Here were Chiropodists, the same as me, carrying out surgical procedures under local analgesia (LA). Other attendees of those early course went on to become Podiatric Surgeons. Many of us had completed Skin Surgery and local Anaesthetics courses by mid-1974. By the mid-80's Podiatric surgery, which had previously been "under the radar" was absorbed into the NHS where it met opposition, mostly from Orthopaedics. Chiropody, meanwhile, was slowly changing to Podiatry - with new degree qualifications - Podiatry or Podiatric Medicine. During my clinical career I had support from NHS Consultants in the form of local anaesthetics and Radiology training, and from the NHS for funding, and time out, for degrees. I'm very grateful for that. My degree top-up course at Durham New College (and Sunderland University) was excellent and gained me access to a Russell Group University later on. But somehow the impetus of the profession which seemed so promising in the 1970's was dissipated, and today (I exclude Podiatric Surgeons from this, but point out that they make up only a small % of the overall profession) we find ourselves in a collective position of clinical weakness. Some of our new graduates are not able to deliver a digital nerve block, or enucleate a corn. We place far too much reliance on research - of which the late statistician Douglas Altman FRS said (in 1994) "we need less research, better research, and research done for the right reasons". With the hindsight of 50 years or so - and examining the profession with the best optics I can afford (Leica) - UK Podiatry seems to be trapped in a kind of Groundhog Day, where we repeat the same professional mistakes, together with the same excuses when things go wrong. Our profession, and our patients, deserve better.
