COVID-19 Information:

1 April 2020

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Essential Services Update

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PodiatryNZ has received the following advice from the Ministry of Health.

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“Podiatry services are non-essential with the exception of acute care, for example in the case of someone with diabetes. Therefore you must cease all non-essential face to face contact, and only treat people face to face who have acute needs.”

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PodiatryNZ would prefer that all acute care cases be assessed by Telehealth.  If the patient lives in a rest home or with others, you could instruct staff on how to manage the patient.   

If you do not have any direct links to secondary care, patients should be referred to their GP or to call Healthline on 0800 358 5453.

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PodiatryNZ members are urged to comply with the intent and advice from the government.  “Everyone should stay at home. This is the best thing we can all do to stop the spread of COVID-19. This will save lives.”

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Rest Homes are an essential service.  If you or the home are unable to manage acute patients, you can make arrangements to attend.  You must have appropriate PPE and we urge absolute care and caution.  

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If you are a podiatrist working for an essential service, please be aware that you may be asked, while travelling, to show who you work for. We encourage you to carry some form of identification that shows who you are, who your work for, and a letter from your employer and/or your work ID.