HOW TO HIRE · HEALTH & WELLBEING

How to hire a podiatrist in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

'Podiatrist' and 'chiropodist' are protected across the UK. Here is the HCPC check, what to ask, and what the quote should show.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a podiatrist in five steps

  1. Search the HCPC RegisterChoose 'chiropodist / podiatrist' and enter the surname. Both titles are protected.
  2. Say what the problem isNails, corns, pain, diabetes, circulation — and any medicines such as blood thinners.
  3. Ask what the routine visit includesNails, hard skin and corns, or an assessment only.
  4. Get nail surgery or insoles priced separatelyThey are usually separate fees, and nail surgery uses local anaesthetic.
  5. Keep the footcare adviceEspecially with diabetes, the advice between visits matters as much as the visit.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

HCPC Register

'Podiatrist' is a protected title under the Health Professions Order 2001, so only a podiatrist on the HCPC Register may use it, in any UK nation. Claiming the title, or implying it, without being registered is a criminal offence (Article 39). 'Chiropodist' is protected in the same way.

On the HCPC Register pick 'Chiropodist / podiatrist', type the surname or registration number, and confirm the entry is current before the first appointment. hcpc-uk.org →

Local anaesthetic and nail surgery

Nail surgery under local anaesthetic needs the right entitlement. The HCPC Register shows podiatrists' extra entitlements as annotations — prescription-only medicines administration (POM A), supply (POM S), prescribing, and podiatric surgery.

Before nail surgery, open the podiatrist's HCPC entry and look for the POM annotations. hcpc-uk.org →

Professional indemnity

Holding an indemnity arrangement is a condition of HCPC registration, so a registered podiatrist should be covered if a treatment goes wrong. It may come through an employer, a professional body or a policy of their own.

Ask the podiatrist how their indemnity is arranged — a clear one-line answer is what you want.

Trader status and your cancellation rights

A podiatrist in private practice is a trader, so the Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies to the service. If you book a course of treatment online, by phone or at home, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give you 14 days to cancel; if you asked for treatment to start inside those 14 days, you pay only for what you used.

Look for the trader badge on the Locufy profile and keep the booking confirmation.

VAT

Podiatry is exempt from VAT only when the podiatrist or chiropodist is on the HCPC Register and the treatment is for your health; treatment for another purpose, or by someone unregistered, is standard-rated at 20%. A clinic whose VAT taxable turnover is over £90,000 must register for VAT and show it as a separate line wherever it charges it.

Check the podiatrist on the HCPC Register, and ask for the clinic's VAT number if insoles or products carry VAT. gov.uk →

“Are you an HCPC-registered podiatrist or chiropodist?”

A good answer: Yes, with a number you can search. A 'foot health practitioner' is a different title with no register.

“What does a routine podiatry appointment include?”

A good answer: Nail cutting, hard skin and corns reduced, and a check of circulation and sensation.

“Do you check circulation and feeling in my feet?”

A good answer: Yes — especially with diabetes, a podiatrist should check pulses and sensation and record it.

“Are your instruments sterile and single-use where needed?”

A good answer: A clear description of how instruments are sterilised or disposed of.

“If I need nail surgery, what does it cost and do you hold the POM annotation?”

A good answer: A separate written price and the annotation for local anaesthetic on their HCPC entry.

“Are insoles off the shelf or custom-made?”

A good answer: Which, why, and the price of each before you agree.

“How often should I come back?”

A good answer: A recall interval based on your feet, not a standing weekly booking.

Getting the quote right

  • Who actually attends — the HCPC-registered podiatrist you booked, or an employed or subcontracted colleague
  • Routine treatment, assessment and home-visit fees, separately
  • Nail surgery, verruca courses and custom insoles priced on their own
  • The VAT number, if the clinic has one, and any VAT line explained
  • Any dressing or follow-up visit after nail surgery included or extra
  • Cancellation terms
  • What a home visit adds, if they come to you

Walk away if

  • Not on the HCPC Register as a podiatrist or chiropodist
  • Offers nail surgery without the POM annotation on their entry
  • Reusable instruments with no sterilisation explanation
  • Custom insoles sold to everyone before an assessment
  • No check of circulation or sensation for someone with diabetes
  • Pressure to book frequent appointments you do not need
LOW
£39
TYPICAL
£45
HIGH
£70

What a podiatrist costs: £39–£70 per session

Podiatrists charge per appointment for routine care, with assessments, nail surgery and custom insoles priced on their own. Podiatrist / Chiropodist price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Podiatrists near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. HistorySymptoms, health conditions, medicines and footwear.
  2. Foot assessmentSkin, nails, circulation and sensation checked and recorded.
  3. TreatmentNails cut, hard skin and corns reduced with sterile instruments.
  4. AdviceFootwear and self-care tips, and any referral if something needs a doctor.
  5. RecallA date for the next visit based on need.

HCPC
The regulator whose Register protects 'podiatrist' and 'chiropodist'.
POM A / POM S
HCPC annotations for administering or supplying prescription-only medicines such as local anaesthetic.
Nail surgery
Removing part or all of a toenail under local anaesthetic.
Orthotics
Insoles, off the shelf or custom-made.
Callus
Hard skin built up by pressure.
Foot health practitioner
A different, unprotected title.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the treatment notesWhat was done, any nail surgery aftercare sheet and the recall date.
Watch the healingAfter nail surgery, follow the dressing advice and report signs of infection to the podiatrist.
Ask about the next visitA recall interval that suits your feet.
Close the booking with a reviewReviews on Locufy come from real bookings like yours with this podiatrist. The make-it-right step is there first if something went wrong.

STEP 1Raise it with the podiatrist, in writingName the problem and the fix you expect. When the treatment from a podiatrist in business falls below reasonable care and skill — the standard section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 sets — section 54 gives you the right to repeat performance or a price reduction.
STEP 2Try the make-it-right stepUnder four stars for a booked podiatrist, Locufy asks whether to pass it to them first; we follow it through before the review goes up.
STEP 3A concern about a podiatrist's practiceThe HCPC takes concerns about registered podiatrists from members of the public, and investigates anyone using a protected title such as 'podiatrist' without being on the Register.
STEP 4Small claims as the last stepWhere the podiatrist still refuses, the small claims routes run to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland under simple procedure and £5,000 in Northern Ireland, with no solicitor needed.

Hiring a podiatrist: questions people ask

Yes — two names for one profession, and both titles are protected. Only HCPC registrants may use either, in every UK nation.

Search the HCPC Register at hcpc-uk.org under 'chiropodist / podiatrist' by surname or registration number, and look for annotations if they offer nail surgery.

No. 'Foot health practitioner' is not a protected title and has no statutory register.

£39 to £70 a session, typically around £45. Nail surgery, insoles and home visits are priced separately. See the podiatrist / chiropodist price guide for what moves the figure, or search your town above to compare podiatrists nearby.

Not on treatment for your health from a registered podiatrist — exempt under VAT Notice 701/57.

Contact the podiatrist straight away and put it in writing; they owe reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Concerns about practice can go to the HCPC.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in health & wellbeing

How to hire: PhysiotherapistHow to hire: Sports PhysiotherapyHow to hire: OsteopathHow to hire: ChiropractorHow to hire: Occupational TherapistHow to hire: DietitianHow to hire: Sports TherapistHow to hire: ReflexologistAll 701 hiring guides →

Podiatrists near you

Podiatrists in LondonPodiatrists in ManchesterPodiatrists in BirminghamPodiatrists in GlasgowPodiatrists in BelfastAll podiatrists on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. HCPC — professions and protected titles
  2. HCPC — check the Register
  3. HCPC — misuse of title
  4. HCPC — professional indemnity
  5. London Local Authorities Act 1991, Part II — special treatment licences
  6. gov.uk — Health professionals and pharmaceutical products (VAT Notice 701/57)
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  8. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
  9. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started in the cancellation period
  10. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — consumer's rights for services
  11. Health professionals and pharmaceutical products (VAT Notice 701/57) — 2.1 Meaning of a health professional; 2.3 Exempt medical services
  12. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  13. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register