Foot care delays in Yarmouth and Waveney

Delays in foot care are still the biggest cause of complaints about health services in Yarmouth and Waveney.There have been staff shortages leading to long waiting times for podiatry, although NHS Yarmouth and Waveney has now recruited more staff.

Delays in foot care are still the biggest cause of complaints about health services in Yarmouth and Waveney.

There have been staff shortages leading to long waiting times for podiatry, although NHS Yarmouth and Waveney has now recruited more staff.

The board meeting on Wednesday heard that four of the 19 formal complaints made about primary care - which does not include hospital treatment - in the last three months were about long waiting times for podiatry. And one councillor suggested that there had many more unhappy people.

Complaints manager Liz Muniandy said: "There has been a problem over the last year. Progress has been made but as posts are recruited to more people leave, and so on. My understanding as December is that we had one vacancy but a person had been recruited and was waiting to start."

Shirley Weymouth, councillor for Winterton and Somerton, said: "I have received so many complaints constantly in my ward about podiatry. A lot of people are going privately to have their feet seen to."

Laura James, head of the professional executive committee, said that innovative ways were being tried to recruit podiatrists. The problems are expected to be resolved in the next six months.