Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a Podiatrist or a Chiropodist?
Legally there is no difference between the two titles, however, it is generally accepted that the term Podiatrist is most used by those that have completed a degree course and whose practice includes areas such as nail surgery and biomechanics.
The important thing to remember is that to use any of these titles, the foot health professional must be registered with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) which gives you, as a member of the public, protection, security and piece of mind.
What is the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC)?
The HCPC (until recently was known as HPC) is the only national independent statutory body which is responsible for regulating all recognised health professionals within the UK including both private practice and NHS (this includes physiotherapists, paramedics and radiographers etc.) and they ensure that we are genuine, meet national standards and that you are protected. (see the link on our links page - click here)
This is not a free membership and as well as having to demonstrate our continual professional development and ongoing training, we also have to subscribe to the HCPC in order to maintain our membership and registration.
Before 2005 any one could set up as a podiatrist or chiropodist without any form of training and unless they were state registered, would be without any regulation which put people at great risk!
Thankfully in 2005 the HCPC closed the profession, which meant we, as a profession, could start to offer some level of protection to the public against unregistered practitioners, and with the weight of the law behind us.
This closure meant that those who were already state registered would automatically transfer their recognised status and be registered under the HCPC. Individuals who had been working as a chiropodist for a certain number of years, irrespective of any training, could apply to be 'grandparented' into the profession and be able to use the terms Podiatrist and Chiropodist, but would have to start to show their development to meet the standards required.
Unfortunately, we still haven't achieved full closure and people are still allowed to use the terms 'foot health professional' and 'foot health practitioner' after completing just a short home learning course, which is still leading to confusion with the public. Many of our colleagues within our profession would like to see the government and the HCPC bring closure to the wording 'foot health professional' like they did with Podiatry and Chiropody, as we believe it to be misleading and unfair to the public.
So, what is Podiatry? Top
Podiatry or podiatric medicine 'is a branch of medicine devoted to the study of, diagnosis, and medical treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle and lower extremities.'
Since its inception into the National Health Service in 1945, chiropody has continually evolved and developed from its initial concept of cutting nails and removing hard skin into what is now known, more usually by those working in the NHS as Podiatry, and is much more a medically based practice dealing with and treating high risk conditions such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and peripheral vascular disease, and areas such as nail surgery, foot surgery (Podiatric Surgery), biomechanics and musculoskeletal problems, and orthotics (insoles). Of course Podiatry still includes the traditional skills of chiropody!
To qualify as a Podiatrist (or Chiropodist) now, and to be able to register with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) you have to have completed a three or four year recognised University degree course (BSc Hons). This is the only qualification held which is recognised by the Department of Health to be able to work in the NHS.
So, is some one who advertises as a foot health professional or practitioner the same as a Podiatrist or Chiropodist?
No, they are not the same, and they are unable, by law, to advertise or offer services using the titles Podiatrist or Chiropodist or to say that they can offer podiatry or chiropody services.
We, at The Goole Foot Clinic, feel that as Podiatrists we are foot health professionals, not only because we trained and qualified to the highest national standard available having completed a fully recognised University degree course - BSc (Hons) Podiatry, or the fact we can, have, and do still work in the NHS, but more importantly that we also belong to a recognised profession in which we are nationally regulated. We feel that there has to be more behind being a foot health professional than behaving in a professional manner.
So they are qualified as well?
Legally, any one who has completed a course are able to say that they are qualified.
What are the differences in qualifications? Top
Apart from the length of time of each course, the depth of learning and training, and the recognition once qualified, another defining factor could be the difference in the amount of clinical training before qualifying.
With most of the distance learning courses you are able to qualify with as little as two weeks clinical training, and not all necessarily in a clinical setting.
As part of the degree course, to become a foot health professional and qualify as a podiatrist, we have to do a minimum of 1000 hours of clinical training in a clinical setting treating patients.
To maintain our registration with the HCPC we also have to evidence our continued professional development (CPD) which we can be audited on at any time.
We at The Goole Foot Clinic are extremely proud of our qualifications and experience, and are happy to advertise and discuss our qualifications.
It all sounds confusing, surely it doesn't really matter? Top
We feel not only that it does matter, but that it should matter especially given the possible consequences!
For us it matters because we have chosen to complete a long and difficult training program to be able to practice safely and competently within our field of expertise and our profession, and we know that our level of training is to the highest standard available in the country and this enables us to re assure you, as a potential client, that we can offer the highest level of treatment, advice and experience.
Perhaps you might find yourself wondering why an individual who has done a distance learning course is unable to be registered with or regulated by the HCPC or why they are not open about their qualifications using instead confusing and meaningless letters or jargon.
If you, or your parents or grandparents say have diabetes, you would have to ask yourself who's hands would you rather put your or their feet in. Would you feel confident being treated by some one who has only completed a short course that may have only completed one module of diabetes and with very little clinical training or experience and is unregulated, or with some one who has years of experience in the treatment of diabetes?
But surely all the letters after their name must mean something? Top
Sadly, they usually mean absolutely nothing at all other than perhaps where they trained or that they have membership to where they trained, and we believe it to be totally misleading and unprofessional. They certainly have no legal meaning.
Even fancy terms used by some HCPC registered members such as 'surgical chiropodist' really have no meaning at all, especially if they are unable to or do not do any type of surgery?
The only universal terms that are officially recognised are Podiatrist and Chiropodist. We put HCPC on our adverts because we want to make people aware of their rights, and we put our qualifications after our names to show the recognised level of training we have achieved, something that other health professionals like doctors and nurses look for so they can make safe recommendations to their patients.
We also add MChS which denotes that we are members of The Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists which is the largest governing body of our profession and normally members of the society are those that have also completed the three year degree course or equivalent.
Peace of mind: Top
If you are unsure what your practitioners qualifications or experience is, just ask, it is your right to know.
Legally there is no difference between the two titles, however, it is generally accepted that the term Podiatrist is most used by those that have completed a degree course and whose practice includes areas such as nail surgery and biomechanics.
The important thing to remember is that to use any of these titles, the foot health professional must be registered with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) which gives you, as a member of the public, protection, security and piece of mind.
What is the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC)?
The HCPC (until recently was known as HPC) is the only national independent statutory body which is responsible for regulating all recognised health professionals within the UK including both private practice and NHS (this includes physiotherapists, paramedics and radiographers etc.) and they ensure that we are genuine, meet national standards and that you are protected. (see the link on our links page - click here)
This is not a free membership and as well as having to demonstrate our continual professional development and ongoing training, we also have to subscribe to the HCPC in order to maintain our membership and registration.
Before 2005 any one could set up as a podiatrist or chiropodist without any form of training and unless they were state registered, would be without any regulation which put people at great risk!
Thankfully in 2005 the HCPC closed the profession, which meant we, as a profession, could start to offer some level of protection to the public against unregistered practitioners, and with the weight of the law behind us.
This closure meant that those who were already state registered would automatically transfer their recognised status and be registered under the HCPC. Individuals who had been working as a chiropodist for a certain number of years, irrespective of any training, could apply to be 'grandparented' into the profession and be able to use the terms Podiatrist and Chiropodist, but would have to start to show their development to meet the standards required.
Unfortunately, we still haven't achieved full closure and people are still allowed to use the terms 'foot health professional' and 'foot health practitioner' after completing just a short home learning course, which is still leading to confusion with the public. Many of our colleagues within our profession would like to see the government and the HCPC bring closure to the wording 'foot health professional' like they did with Podiatry and Chiropody, as we believe it to be misleading and unfair to the public.
So, what is Podiatry? Top
Podiatry or podiatric medicine 'is a branch of medicine devoted to the study of, diagnosis, and medical treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle and lower extremities.'
Since its inception into the National Health Service in 1945, chiropody has continually evolved and developed from its initial concept of cutting nails and removing hard skin into what is now known, more usually by those working in the NHS as Podiatry, and is much more a medically based practice dealing with and treating high risk conditions such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and peripheral vascular disease, and areas such as nail surgery, foot surgery (Podiatric Surgery), biomechanics and musculoskeletal problems, and orthotics (insoles). Of course Podiatry still includes the traditional skills of chiropody!
To qualify as a Podiatrist (or Chiropodist) now, and to be able to register with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) you have to have completed a three or four year recognised University degree course (BSc Hons). This is the only qualification held which is recognised by the Department of Health to be able to work in the NHS.
So, is some one who advertises as a foot health professional or practitioner the same as a Podiatrist or Chiropodist?
No, they are not the same, and they are unable, by law, to advertise or offer services using the titles Podiatrist or Chiropodist or to say that they can offer podiatry or chiropody services.
We, at The Goole Foot Clinic, feel that as Podiatrists we are foot health professionals, not only because we trained and qualified to the highest national standard available having completed a fully recognised University degree course - BSc (Hons) Podiatry, or the fact we can, have, and do still work in the NHS, but more importantly that we also belong to a recognised profession in which we are nationally regulated. We feel that there has to be more behind being a foot health professional than behaving in a professional manner.
So they are qualified as well?
Legally, any one who has completed a course are able to say that they are qualified.
What are the differences in qualifications? Top
Apart from the length of time of each course, the depth of learning and training, and the recognition once qualified, another defining factor could be the difference in the amount of clinical training before qualifying.
With most of the distance learning courses you are able to qualify with as little as two weeks clinical training, and not all necessarily in a clinical setting.
As part of the degree course, to become a foot health professional and qualify as a podiatrist, we have to do a minimum of 1000 hours of clinical training in a clinical setting treating patients.
To maintain our registration with the HCPC we also have to evidence our continued professional development (CPD) which we can be audited on at any time.
We at The Goole Foot Clinic are extremely proud of our qualifications and experience, and are happy to advertise and discuss our qualifications.
It all sounds confusing, surely it doesn't really matter? Top
We feel not only that it does matter, but that it should matter especially given the possible consequences!
For us it matters because we have chosen to complete a long and difficult training program to be able to practice safely and competently within our field of expertise and our profession, and we know that our level of training is to the highest standard available in the country and this enables us to re assure you, as a potential client, that we can offer the highest level of treatment, advice and experience.
Perhaps you might find yourself wondering why an individual who has done a distance learning course is unable to be registered with or regulated by the HCPC or why they are not open about their qualifications using instead confusing and meaningless letters or jargon.
If you, or your parents or grandparents say have diabetes, you would have to ask yourself who's hands would you rather put your or their feet in. Would you feel confident being treated by some one who has only completed a short course that may have only completed one module of diabetes and with very little clinical training or experience and is unregulated, or with some one who has years of experience in the treatment of diabetes?
But surely all the letters after their name must mean something? Top
Sadly, they usually mean absolutely nothing at all other than perhaps where they trained or that they have membership to where they trained, and we believe it to be totally misleading and unprofessional. They certainly have no legal meaning.
Even fancy terms used by some HCPC registered members such as 'surgical chiropodist' really have no meaning at all, especially if they are unable to or do not do any type of surgery?
The only universal terms that are officially recognised are Podiatrist and Chiropodist. We put HCPC on our adverts because we want to make people aware of their rights, and we put our qualifications after our names to show the recognised level of training we have achieved, something that other health professionals like doctors and nurses look for so they can make safe recommendations to their patients.
We also add MChS which denotes that we are members of The Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists which is the largest governing body of our profession and normally members of the society are those that have also completed the three year degree course or equivalent.
Peace of mind: Top
If you are unsure what your practitioners qualifications or experience is, just ask, it is your right to know.
