Patients who use Airedale Hospital’s orthotic service have helped shape a new range of footwear to ease a variety of foot problems in the first event of its kind.
A patient forum day was organised by the hospital’s orthotic’s team in partnership with Peacocks Medical Group, a northern manufacturer of specialist footwear.
It was held in the hospital’s education centre last Wednesday and the aim was to encourage people who use the service to say how they felt about their current footwear and to suggest areas of improvement.
Around 20 patients took part and met clinical and product development staff from Peacocks to develop two new Airedale styles – one for men and the other for women.
Elaine Coope, mobility services manager at Airedale NHS Trust, said: “We were delighted with the feedback we received. It was a really interesting event. All comments by our service users will be analysed to help produce new footwear which will be presented to a patient forum early next year.”
Peacocks currently manufactures and supplies bespoke orthotic footwear, but their new development will be a range of off-the-shelf stock, which can be adapted to suit prescriptions.
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