from the Daily Mail, UK…

By ANGELA EPSTEIN
Last updated at 9:55 PM on 20th June 2009

The supermarket that introduced the in-store GP has now expanded into podiatry.

Sainsbury’s Heaton Park store in Manchester has introduced the footcare service – the first of its kind in the country.

Shoppers can add corn treatment and toenail cutting to their weekly grocery list, with prices starting at £18.

‘An NHS referral to see a podiatrist can take up to a year,’ says the store’s podiatrist, Catherine Dean.

‘By using our service, you can see one in a week. For those who work full-time it’s particularly helpful as we’re open on Saturdays until 8pm.’

Michael O’Neill, spokesman for the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists, welcomes the move.

‘Due to increased awareness of foot-related health issues, such as diabetes, demand for podiatrists has never been greater,’ he says. ‘The NHS is often unable to keep up and appointments are scarce.’

Carl Meaney, 32, a merchandiser, agrees. ‘My feet take a real battering because I go rock-climbing and I noticed that my toenails looked terribly discoloured,’ he explains.

‘But they didn’t hurt so I just left them. Because of the new drop-in service I decided to have them examined. It seems I have a really bad fungal infection that has spread into my skin and the podiatrist has referred me to my GP.’

‘By seeing a podiatrist as soon as you want one you could prevent more serious health problems,’ adds Dean.

Sainsbury’s will initially provide two clinics a week. If the podiatry service proves successful, it’s likely it will be rolled out, along with other healthcare services, to other stores.