Care homes
Podiatry for your residents, without anybody leaving the building.
We visit residential and care homes across the DH postcodes and see several residents in one visit. Half a day or a full day, on a routine you set — one registered podiatrist, one arrival, and a written note for each resident's file.
Why it is worth booking in
Feet are where a lot of trouble starts.
Nails that have gone too long, hard skin, corns and thickened toenails all make walking hurt. A resident whose feet hurt walks less, and a resident who walks less gets less steady on them. Most of it is straightforward to deal with and quick to put right.
Diabetes changes the picture again, and so does poor circulation, and so does skin that has become thin and fragile. Those are the feet worth having a trained eye on regularly, rather than when something has already gone wrong.
How a visit works
One visit, several residents, no disruption to the day.
01
You tell us roughly how many
Ring or email with the number of residents you have in mind, and say if any of them are diabetic. That is enough for us to tell you whether it is a half day or a full day, and we will say which rather than let you guess.
02
We agree a day and a routine
Most homes settle into a regular visit and keep the same slot. You get the day booked ahead so it sits in your rota rather than being arranged from scratch every time, and you get the same podiatrist each visit.
03
We work through the list
Residents are seen one after another, either in their own rooms or in a quiet room you set aside — whichever suits the home better. We bring our own instruments and everything we need.
04
You get notes, and the next date
Each resident gets a short written note of what was found and what was done, for their file. Anything that needs watching or passing to a GP is written down plainly. We book the next visit before we leave.
What we need from you
Very little. We bring the rest.
Somewhere to work with a chair and a plug, or permission to go room to room. Somebody on shift who can point us at the right residents and tell us anything we ought to know first. A list of names beforehand helps, but we can work without one.
Consent is the one thing we cannot work around. Where a resident can consent for themselves we ask them on the day. Where they cannot, we need whoever holds that responsibility to have agreed beforehand — and if we do not think we can proceed properly, we will say so rather than press on.
Routine visits
Most homes put us in the diary and leave us there.
A one-off visit is fine, and plenty of homes start with one. But feet do not stop growing, and the homes that get the most out of us are the ones where we come round on a standing arrangement so nobody has to remember to book it.
One visit first, before anything is agreed.
Then a standing slot, booked ahead so it sits in your rota.
An interval we suggest once we have seen everybody once.
Changed whenever your residents change. Just tell us.
Questions
Things managers ask.
It depends what each one needs, but a half day and a full day are the two blocks we work in. Tell us how many people you have in mind and we will tell you honestly which one it is, rather than promise a number and then rush the last few.
Whichever works better for the home. Some set aside a quiet room and bring people through; in others we go room to room, which is easier for anybody who is unsteady or would rather not be moved. Tell us which you prefer and we will work that way.
We need whoever holds that responsibility to have agreed before the visit. On the day we still explain what we are doing, and we stop if somebody is distressed. If we do not think we can proceed properly, we will say so and leave it.
Yes. HCPC registered, number CH33662, and you can check that on the HCPC register yourself in under a minute. The qualification behind it is a BSc (Hons) in Podiatry. Worth knowing when you are comparing quotes: podiatrist is a protected title and foot care worker is not.
We will tell you, and tell you what we think should happen next. Some things we can deal with on the following visit; some need a GP or an onward referral, and where that is the case we put it in writing so it is in the resident's notes and not just in a conversation.
Ask about your home
Tell us roughly how many residents and where you are, and we will come back to you by email, usually the same working day. If it is easier to talk it through, calling is quicker.
Online booking opens soon
Our appointment diary is not open just yet. Leave your details and be the first to know when it opens, so you can pick a time that suits you, evenings and weekends included.
Diary opening soonOr ring 07838 652554 and we will find you a time.
Rather talk to someone?
Ring during opening hours and you will speak to a person. Home visits are arranged this way.