"Lack of proactive podiatry care"

My daughter has Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis and takes immunosuppressants. The medication increases her risk of toenail infections but also makes them more serious for her. Secondary to this, each infection requires antibiotics which in turn means she has to stop her arthritis medication.

She is in the middle of a flare that has lasted over a year and the constant breaks to take antibiotics are making her arthritis really hard to get under control again.  Podiatry are lovely and very responsive but say they cannot offer monitoring care. Only urgent/reactive responses. While their response is quick and the podiatrists themselves are so helpful, this is not the best solution for my daughter or myself.

I have asked for monitoring but been refused. My daughter’s Consultant has asked and also been refused. We are now on the 2nd infection in 2 months. Almost a month to the day since the last one.  I also work for the NHS. Instead of having a regular appt which we can plan ahead for, scheduled outside of my daughter’s school time and at a time which has minimal impact on my work, I am having to take myself out of my work to make a 9am call to make the emergency referral. I will then have to come out again to take the call to schedule the appt and will then need to try and sort my diary to take her, using up more leave.

As it is an emergency appt the chances are that my daughter will also need to miss more school. In addition to these podiatry appts she also has regular appts for MSK, uveitis screening, clinic, and bloods.  

I appreciate this isn’t the fault of the front line podiatrists, who have been more than helpful. But I am getting increasingly frustrated by the lack of proactive care and the impact this is having on my daughter and if I am honest, on my own stress levels.