In 2017, while still Chair of Foot in Diabetes UK (FDUK), I was at a meeting in London with a number of Tissue Viability Nurses. They were discussing a new campaign to raise awareness of lower limb conditions among the general public, as well as healthcare professionals. I asked the nurses if podiatrists were part of this initiative (now known as Legs Matter). They looked a bit ‘sheepish’ and replied that they weren’t, as they were “thinking mainly about leg conditions”. I immediately replied “but the foot is part of the lower limb.” Afterwards, I contacted the members of the steering group to ensure that foot complications were recognised as a key part of the campaign. It may sound obvious, but we know that, in reality, the foot is often missed off when discussing the lower limb, or only gets token recognition. Soon after this discussion, I joined the College of Podiatry as the National Clinical Director. The College of Podiatry and FDUK were keen to ensure that the foot remained central to the campaign and joined the coalition at its inception.
