Referral Criteria for Orthotic assessment

Referrals can be made to Airedale Mobility Services for an Orthotic assessment when the

patient meets the following criteria

• Is registered with a GP within the Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven Clinical Commissioning Group area including Bentham
• Is lawfully entitled to receive NHS treatment
• Has an acute or long-term condition requiring specialist Orthotic assessment

The service is for the specialist assessment and prescription of orthoses to manage acute and long-term conditions to improve posture, function and mobility and reduce pain.  Common examples and benefits include (but are not limited to)

• Orthopaedics – pre & post-operative joint support and rehabilitation
• Arthritis and rheumatic conditions – pain relief
• Acquired neurological conditions such as Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury and Spinal Cord Injury
• Diabetes – orthoses for preventing and reducing ulceration
• Life-long neurological conditions including Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida, Muscular Dystrophy – contracture prevention and management, gait optimisation
• Limb weakness such as in polio, Guillain-Barré syndrome, Motor Neurone Disease and Multiple Sclerosis – improve independence and mobility
• Vascular and tissue complications – pressure relief and management of oedema
• Biomechanical and musculoskeletal foot dysfunctions associated with a long-term condition – manage posture and functional alignment for pain relief and prevention of reoccurrence
• Foot deformities which cannot be accommodated in ready-made shoes

The Orthotist will identify the orthotic needs with the patient before agreeing the most suitable

provision.   Referrals which do not meet these criteria will be signposted with advice.

Patients presenting with plantar foot pain but without complex pathology should be encouraged to self-care with exercises and try off the shelf devices before being referred for specialist support.

Orthotic services DO NOT PRESCRIBE FOR

• Any item where there is no specific clinical or biomechanical need
• Simple devices available from retailers including basic insoles, wrist splints and braces, silicone toe spacers and compression hosiery available to purchase from retailers without prescription
• Footwear for forefoot and toe deformity which can be met within the range of extra wide or deep shoes available to purchase from retailers without prescription
• Footwear or insoles for flexible flat feet or hallux valgus/rigidus with no associated symptoms or co-morbidity
• Recurrent patella dislocation or Osgood Schlatters disease
• Safety footwear where the employer should provide Personal Protective Equipment
• Items solely for sporting or educational purposes or because of socio economic reasons or historic practice

Your initial referral would be from your GP or Allied Health Professional within the Airedale, Wharfedale & Craven District and after that you can re-refer when you need to.

We triage referrals every day so we can provide clinical assessment and equipment if appropriate soon as possible. We may need to contact you or your referrer for more information so please give us as much information as possible. We liaise promptly with other health professionals to provide advice and urgent assistance. After your referral has been accepted we will contact you about the next steps.

All eligible referrals are logged on our database and prioritised (Urgent or Routine). We aim to see all Urgent referrals within 2 weeks and Routine referrals within 8 weeks. We are able to revise the priority of someone’s referral if their clinical needs change.