As a specialist field of medicine, that deals entirely with feet – including diagnosing and treating various injuries, diseases, and deformities that affect your feet and ankles – it can be a little harder to find a good podiatrist than you might think. As podiatry is a speciality you may never have visited a podiatrist previously, and many have never even heard the term. So how are you supposed to go about finding the best podiatrist in your area and ensuring you (and your feet!) get the care and attention you need? Here’s all you need to know to find the best podiatrist in your area…
What To Look For In A Podiatrist…
There are several resources you can tap into when you’re looking for the best podiatrist in your area. Initially, begin with your family doctor or GP and ask for a recommendation in your area. You can also search online for ‘best podiatrist near me’. These should be seen as starting points only, however, as the likelihood is all you will produce from this is a list of local podiatrists in your area. For example, if you search for ‘best podiatrist in Cheshire’ you’ll find over 20 on the list!
Your next step should be to dig a little deeper into the possibilities. It’s easy to immediately go for the foot clinic closest to you, yet this might not ensure you find the best possible care. Take a look at the reviews on Google for each of the possibilities. Any respectable foot clinic will have a Google listing that includes reviews from happy customers. You want somewhere with 5 stars, naturally, but you also want to consider the number of reviews.
Anyone can have a five-star rating if they only have one or two reviews!
The higher the number of reviews while retaining that five-star rating, the better the podiatrist in question is, according to the people who are best able to tell you – other patients!
How To Tell You’ve Found The Best Podiatrist…
Once you’ve narrowed down your list of options to one or two places that have consistently received five-star reviews from multiple patients, give them a call. It’s natural to have questions before you book an appointment, so phoning up to find out more information shouldn’t be a problem.
Simply explain that you’re searching for the best option and have a few queries, then run through the following list:
- Is the clinic currently accepting new patients? If they’re not, there’s no point wasting your time asking everything else, and the podiatrist should be able to refer you to a colleague in the area they know to be very good.
- Is there on-site parking and easy access to the office? Given the nature of their work and the need for patients with mobility issues to visit, any great clinic will have ensured very easy access.
- What are their office hours? You need to be sure they are flexible enough for you to attend.
- What is the waiting time to get an appointment? If this is too long you may need to consider a different practice.
- What is the process for emergency appointments?
- Is the podiatrist qualified and registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)?
Use Your First Appointment To Test The Waters…
Assuming you’re satisfied with all the answers given, go ahead and book your first appointment. Use this as a way of testing the waters – you aren’t bound to remain with the same podiatrist for the rest of your life! Check in with your own impressions and feelings after your first visit and ask yourself:
- Was the doctor respectful?
- Did he/she listen to and answer my questions?
- Did they take the times to properly explain my diagnosis?
It’s important to find a podiatrist who provides excellent care as well as mutual trust and respect.
If you’re looking for the best podiatrist in Northwich, we’re more than happy to answer any questions you may have ahead of your first visit and are very proud of our five-star rating on Google. We have been happily caring for the feet of residents across Cheshire for years. Get in touch today to find out more about our podiatry services…
