About Vaishali
Podiatrist. HCPC registered. Royal College of Podiatry. Enhanced DBS checked. And someone who thinks it is odd that the people who most need foot care are the ones asked to travel for it.
Vaishali Patel — Podiatrist, and the person who will actually be knocking on your door.
Why I go to people instead
There is something back to front about foot care. The people whose feet need the most attention — the elderly, people with diabetes, anyone whose mobility is not what it was — are exactly the people for whom getting to a clinic is hardest. So they put it off. Nails thicken, skin cracks, a small thing becomes a painful one. And all because of a car park.
So I took the clinic to them. Everything I would have in a treatment room comes with me: sterilised instruments, a portable chair, proper lighting, the lot. You do not need to prepare anything, tidy anything, or go anywhere.
What being HCPC registered means
Podiatrist and chiropodist are legally protected titles in the UK. To use them you must hold a degree in podiatric medicine and be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council, which sets the standards and can strike you off. It is the same register that physiotherapists and paramedics sit on.
Foot health practitioner is not a protected title. Anyone may use it, and the training behind it varies enormously. Many are perfectly good at routine nail care. But they are not qualified to assess a diabetic foot, use a local anaesthetic, or perform nail surgery — and a good one will refer you to someone like me when it matters.
I am also a member of the Royal College of Podiatry, fully insured, and enhanced DBS checked — the same level of criminal record check required to work with vulnerable adults. Given that I am coming into your home, you are entitled to know that.
How I work
I will tell you honestly what your feet need, including when that is less than you thought. If routine care every eight weeks will keep you comfortable, I will say eight weeks, not four. If something looks like it needs a GP rather than me, I will say that too, and help you get seen.
I work Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 2pm and again from 5pm to 8pm. Evening appointments carry a £10 surcharge, which is simply what out-of-hours time costs. The evening clinic exists for a reason: a lot of my patients have a son or daughter who wants to be in the room, and who cannot take a Tuesday morning off to do it.
What my credentials actually mean
Three things get listed on every foot care website in the country, usually as logos with no explanation. Here is what each one really means, and why it should matter to you before you let anyone through your front door.
Health and Care Professions Council
The HCPC is the statutory regulator for Podiatrists, established by Parliament to protect the public. To be on the register I must hold a degree in podiatric medicine, meet national standards of conduct and competence, keep my training current, and carry indemnity insurance. The HCPC can investigate me and remove me from the register. It is the same register that physiotherapists, paramedics and radiographers appear on — and it is public, so you can look me up in about thirty seconds.
Royal College of Podiatry
The professional body for UK Podiatrists. Where the HCPC sets the legal floor, the College is about staying good above it: continuing professional development, current clinical guidance, peer standards, specialist training. Registration says I am permitted to treat you. College membership says I am still working at being better at it.
Enhanced DBS check
This is the one that should matter most to you, and it is the one people ask about least. I come into your home. I am usually alone with you, often behind a closed front door. Many of my patients are elderly, living with dementia, hard of hearing, or unable to get out of a chair unaided — and that makes them, in law, vulnerable adults.
An Enhanced DBS check with the adult barred list is the highest level of criminal record check that exists in this country. It searches spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands, relevant police intelligence, and whether a person has been formally barred from working with vulnerable adults at all.
Nobody should be treating a vulnerable person alone in their own home without one, and you are entitled to ask before they arrive. Ask me. Ask anyone else you are considering. A straight answer takes a second. Hesitation is your answer.
Please check me — do not take my word for it. The HCPC register is public and free to search at hcpc-uk.org. I would far rather you looked me up than trusted a website. Any Podiatrist worth having will tell you exactly the same thing.
Come and meet me
An initial consultation is £70 and includes treatment on the day. Evening appointments £10 extra.