Student-led podiatry clinic at Westside Community Centre: Final report of the pilot project

The student-led podiatry clinic at Westside Community Centre in West Albury, NSW was funded as a one-year pilot project by the NSW Department of Health through Three Rivers Department of Rural Health (DRH). Westside Community Centre provides case management and support services to the local community, to encourage connection and social inclusion. The centre has an important role in facilitating outreach services to enable community members’ access to a range of services, including healthcare providers. The local community includes a strong First Nations population which is almost twice the national average and 25% of community members are over 65 years of age (abs.gov.au). With a significant number of people in the lower socioeconomic demographic, the community is impacted by poor health. In response to meeting community needs for allied health services, the staff at Westside embraced the opportunity to collaborate with the podiatry team at Charles Sturt to co-develop an on-site podiatry clinic.