New specialist podiatry clinic Outback Care opens in Broome

Kimberley organisation Boab Health Services has opened a long-awaited private podiatry clinic in Broome, offering specialist services to treat various foot ailments.

Outback Care opened last month to address the shortage of accessible podiatry services in the Kimberley region, which saw some regional patients travel to Perth to access specialist services.

Boab Health Services chief executive Matt Burrows said while the organisation has been delivering podiatry in the Kimberley for more than 15 years, funding from the Government only allowed services for “very high needs clients” with chronic diseases.

“There’s a lot of people living in the Kimberley, Broome especially, that don’t necessarily have a chronic disease but have foot care needs,” he said.

“We became aware of this when the private podiatrists in town closed last year, so a lot of people were left stranded with foot care needs.

“They are needs because if they’re not met, they can become acute. So, we saw the need and we decided to go private ourselves and open up a private clinic here in Broome.”

Outback Care podiatrist Lachlan Aquilina, who is originally from Sydney and has previously practiced in Perth, made the move to Broome when Boab Health Services identified the gap in podiatry care.

“We know that a certain proportion of the population are going to be affected by foot pain and different ailments, whether it be arthritis, benign growths on their feet or maybe they’ve got ingrown toenails or a sports injury,” he said.

“Currently, there’s a pretty hefty weight for GPS and there’s no sort of specialised (podiatry) services in town anyway, so the importance of this podiatry service is to be able to address any of those concerns in a timely manner.”

Outback Care is located at Unit 5/20 Hamersley Street in Broome and patients can book an appointment online or talk to their GP for a referral.