What Is The Difference Between a Podiatrist and Chiropodist?

The difference between both words is simply a name change from Chiropodist to Podiatrist in 1993 in order to bring the UK in line with the rest of the World, as Podiatrist is Internationally the more widely adopted term.

What is a Podiatrist?

A Podiatrist spends 3 or 4 years at university learning specifically how the foot works when you walk and run. Podiatrists are autonomous healthcare professionals who aim to improve their patients’ mobility, independence and quality of life. They assess, diagnose and treat people with problems of the feet, ankles and lower limbs. Only clinicians who have completed the extensive university degree course and are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) can call themselves a Podiatrist or Chiropodist.

Do I need a referral from my GP to book an appointment?

In short ‘no’ – anyone can refer themselves for private podiatry treatment and where necessary we can liaise with your GP on your behalf, but there’s no formal referral required or expected.

How long does an appointment take?

As a general rule of thumb our appointments for routine podiatry last around 30 minutes, but depending on your requirements or if you’re booking in for more detailed services you may require up to an hour or more. Either way, we’ll let you know when you make an appointment.

What should I wear for my appointment?

For a routine podiatry appointment the only requirement is that nail varnish is removed prior. We also advise that you attend in the shoes that you wear most often, so we can assess if they may be contributing to any specific foot problem.

What are your payment terms?

Payment is made at the end of each treatment session either by cash or credit / debit card.

Do you have wheelchair access and disabled facilities?

We are in the process of updating our clinic and waiting room to have better wheelchair access and disabled facilities.

Is there car parking available?

Yes there is limited free on-street parking outside the clinic. If you do park near the clinic we’d just ask that you are respectful to our neighbours and not block driveways and access roads.

Are you registered with the Health and Care Professions Council?

Yes, all of our podiatrists are HCPC registered which means that we meet the high standards of training, professional skills and behaviour required by the regulating body – this is a minimum requirement for all ‘Podiatrists’ so if you’re not registered you’re not strictly a Podiatrist. You can find us on the full listing of HCPC registered professionals.

Are you members of any other professional bodies?

Along with our HCPC registration we are also members of the Royal College of Podiatry one of the key societies providing podiatrists with ongoing training and whom maintain our professional insurance. They work in partnership with the HCPC to represent podiatrists specifically.

I am so embarrassed my feet are such a mess. Can you help me?

Everybody thinks they have really bad feet. Rest assured that the Podiatrist will have seen somebody with much worse feet than yourself, so please just relax and don’t worry! Remember, we work with feet all day and everyday.

I work 5 days a week, so when can you see me?

We run a clinic every Saturday, so if you work during the week, we can still see you.  We also offer online video consultations and phone consultations by way of secure remote sessions if required.

I want to be seen by the same podiatrist every time. Is this possible?

This is not a problem. We also believe continuity of care is better if the patient sees the same Podiatrist each time they come as both will be aware of the existing treatment plan that is in place.

Can I got to work after my treatment?

The answer to this is sweet and simple – YES! The majority of our treatments are pain free, which do not require you to take time off work. The only exception is nail surgery, for which you are required to take a minimum of 4 days off work. If any treatment requires for you to take time off work, then your Podiatrist will inform you of this when putting together your treatment plan.

Will my treatment be painful?

For most treatments, the answer to this is NO!  You may present with a very painful condition. However, the Podiatrist will be able to treat this in a manner that does not cause you a great deal of discomfort. This is because we use very high quality instruments/equipment, and our Podiatrists have many years of professional experience, ensuring you are in very safe hands! When required, we do provide the option of administering a local anaesthetic to help with extra pain relief.