Why do you want to talk to me on the phone to book my appointment, why can't we do this by e-mail?
In todays fast paced and frenetic world where most things can be done on the internet, we do need to speak to you, in person, when booking your first appointment. We need to discuss your needs and what your foot problem may be in order to book you in with the most appropriate practitioner. We also need to register you as a patient on our booking system, taking personal and contact details, and to take payment in advance for your new patient appointment by card. This may take up to 10 minutes so please allow a little time when calling to book an appointment.
Where do I park if you haven't got on-site parking?
There are various areas of the village you can park in. There is a small, free of charge car park opposite McColls shop, parking places on the road outside Melton Chapel, on-road parking in Station Road, Churchview Close, Hall Farm Road and Dock Lane.
If I don't drive how do I travel to your practice?
We are on a bus route. Buses 63, 64 and 65 stop outside The Chapel Practice.
Melton Rail Station in Wilford Bridge Road is a 5-8 minute walk (depending on how quickly you walk!)
Local taxi services are able to drop you at our front door and all know where we are located.
I'm nervous about coming to see you for the first time.
We all feel anxious about the unknown or something we've never done before. Please don't be worried about your visit, we are only here to help and always try our hardest to help with kindness, compassion and understanding.
Why is a new patient appointment 40 minutes long? I don't think my problem will take this long to treat.
Our reception team get asked this a lot, and it can sometimes be really frustrating for them to answer. As the resident
podiatrist at the practice, let me tell you why I allow up to 40 minutes for your first appointment.....
- I've got to take a full medical history from you and decide what health conditions you have may affect your feet. This
can take 5-8 minutes
- I need to perform a circulation check on both feet; if you have poor circulation you may be at higher risk of complications
from any treatment I offer you, I may detect a heart arrhythmia and need to refer you to your GP for further investigations
or it may explain why you have a particular foot problem. This can take 4-10 minutes.
- We need to talk about the foot problem you've come to see me for, how long its been present, what your expectations of treatment are and what I can do to help; sometimes this can take 5-10 minutes.
- I need to examine your foot (feet) to assess and diagnose your foot problem(s). Another 5-10 minutes depending on the complexity of your problem.
- I need to take written consent for your treatment and talk you through the consent form. 2-5 minutes depending if you have any questions about the form.
- Now I need to physically treat your foot (feet), and again, depending upon how many problems you have (your toenails need cutting, hard skin needs removal, a really painful corn needs to be carefully removed and your heels are really dry and rough so they need attention too) this may take 20 minutes.
- Now I've finished your treatment I can discuss a treatment plan with you, I can give you time to ask any questions if you'd like to and fully write up your patient record so that I can refer to it next time we meet to see if your foot problem has improved. This can take 5 minutes.
Now, do you see why I allow 40 minutes? I don't want you to feel rushed. I
don't want to feel rushed. I want to give you excellent care and treatment while you are in my practice, I won't settle
for any less and you shouldn't expect less than that.
I have built my reputation and practice over 20 years on being thorough, informative, honest and ensuring my patient's understand
their foot problems. There is nothing worse than leaving an appointment none-the-wiser about what's wrong, how it might
be fixed or not having had the opportunity to ask questions. Why do I need to pay for my new patient appointment when I book it and not on the day of the appointment?
From 1st January 2020 we introduced payment upon booking for all new patient appointments. It was a tough decision
to make, but 2018-19 proved difficult and frustrating years with so many new patients booking appointments and never
turning up; they didn't even have the courtesy to leave a message on our answerphone to cancel their appointment.
This happened several times each week, meant that we had many appointments we could have offered to other patients, lost
a lot of working hours and income. As a small business we couldn't allow this to continue, so we now take the appointment
fee at the time of booking.
We know this doesn't suit everyone, but for those of you who have every intention of turning up for your appointment it's
never been a problem.
If you change your mind about your appointment or cancel your appointment with at least 24 hours notice we refund your appointment
fee in full.
I'm bringing my child/ parent with dementia or Alzheimer's/ someone with special needs and I'm concerned about how they will cope in new surroundings.
We are very used to seeing patients with different needs. Donna and Yvonne, our fabulous reception team, are not only friendly and kind, but patient and dedicated to making your visit as stress-free as possible.
All our colleagues here are parents of children of mixed ages, most have parents in the senior age-bracket and experience of those with special needs such as Aspergers, autism and learning difficulties.
We find a little bit of humour and a smile goes a long way to making everyone feel safe and secure when they visit.
When you book the appointment, just let us know if you have any special requirements or what we could do to help to make the visit as comfortable as possible.
I'm disabled/ bringing someone with a disability, will I be able to access your practice?
Yes. We are a ground floor practice with wheelchair access throughout.
It seems quite expensive for a new patient appointment compared to other places I've rung, why?
We are more expensive than some practitioners, but charge less than others.
We have 20 years experience in practice, building on firm foundations of a 3 year degree level training.
We pride ourselves on continued professional development and keeping up to date with the latest skills, treatments and invest in our training and equipment.
Evidence based medicine is at the core of our treatments and we are fully insured, regulated and registered.
