"The chiropodist was very off hand"

I have had in-growing toe nails for a long time and used to have them treated under a scheme where the cost of treatment was deducted from my wages. When this scheme ended I went to a private chiropodist who was very good, sadly he died and since then I have struggled to find another good chiropodist.

I was also finding it quite expensive as each treatment was costing £25, I went to my GP who referred me to the Dewsbury Podiatry Clinic.

The chiropodist was very off hand, I was told ‘You can’t come here because you don’t have any underlying health problems’. Surely that is not the point? The point is I have a painful problem with my feet which needs to be treated.

On my second visit the chiropodist was friendlier; I think she must have looked up my details on WinDIP. Anyway, I had also looked at the NHS website because of her comment that I should not be there, the website is contradictory. On the one hand it says that treatment is available to everyone, but then later on it says different criteria is applied in different areas. I cannot find anything that says what the criteria is in this area.

It should not matter where you live, no one should have to suffer with painful feet – in my line of work I’m on my feet all day.

I’ve been told that I will need a minor operation to remove / treat the ingrowing toenail. I’m not keen on this and would prefer an alternative solution but have been told that I either have the operation or no treatment.