Some British children who need orthoses from the National Health Service (NHS) may be going far too long without orthotic care, according to a new coalition called the North Staffs Orthotic Campaign (NSOC). The parents who formed the group in the Stoke and North Staffordshire regions are claiming that underfunding of the orthotics department at their only local hospital, the University Hospital of North Staffordshire, has left children waiting so long after casting that they receive outgrown braces upon fitting. Britain’s The Sentinel newspaper described cases in which children have waited as long as 17 weeks before receiving an AFO they needed to walk.
The NSOC website praises the hospital’s orthotists and support staff, describing them as being “professional and caring despite the circumstances they have to work in,” but lists the following grievances:
- An unacceptably long wait to be seen by an orthotist.
- The service refusing to assess and measure for new devices until the present device is fully outgrown.
- Having to wait so long for footwear and devices that by the time they arrive they have been outgrown.
- Knowing that a device is ready, but the patient cannot have it for weeks because an orthotist is not available to fit it.
- Not being able to obtain boots or shoes to fit over devices and the orthotics service refusing to provide them.
The Sentinel described the plight of Conor Lawton, a ten year old with hemiplegia who had to wait three months for a new AFO after breaking his old one. His father, Gary Lawton, told the newspaper, “After three months, we were told the AFO was on the shelf, but we had to wait another two weeks for an appointment…. Conor was in pain. His foot turned over when he walked, and he gets bad back pain.”
A hospital spokesman was quoted as saying, “The service did experience some minor difficulties toward the end of last year due to unavoidable staffing circumstances. These, coupled with the current national shortage of orthotists, meant a small number of patients experienced a delay. We apologize for this temporary delay and assure patients all possible measures have been taken to restore the service.”
