Patients with foot and leg conditions will soon have better access to care, with podiatrists able to prescribe certain medicines

Health Minister Simeon Brown says new regulations will let them join professions, like nurses and pharmacists, designated prescribing rights.

That'll include some oral painkillers and oral antibiotics, and topical anti-fungals, topical steroids and local anaesthetics.

Brown says podiatrists usually work in community and rural settings, and are particularly important for helping manage conditions like diabetes in older people.