Back in 1996 I was working in the NHS in cardiology, mostly doing cardiological testing. I really enjoyed working with patients and people, but after a while I found it wasn’t satisfying. I’d complete a test which would confirm that there was indeed a cardiac issue, then submit a report to the doctor, who would talk to the patient and family. It was hard to know if what I was doing was helping.
This prompted me to complete my degree in podiatry, which is the diagnosis and management of disorders of the feet and the lower limb. Working in the NHS I specialised in diabetes and wound care, and found it really satisfying working with people who had problems with their feet. Eventually I ended up working for a wound management company training other podiatrists, nurses and even the odd doctor how to look after wound.
When I decided to get back into podiatry clinical practice, I wanted to avoid the bureaucratic challenges of the NHS, so I started thinking about opening a private practice. I was actually living in Derbyshire, and working in Yorkshire, but I met my wife and we decided to go back to Norfolk, where she'd lived previously. So we moved and back here and started a business, all at the same time.
We opened Footsure in 2014. I’d put out feelers to find out if anyone wanted to work with me to open a clinic, and I met Ian, who’d run Angel Podiatry in the area for a long while. He wanted to expand, but also to be closer to his home, so we did our research and realised no one was offering this service in Wymondham. After more investigating we thought it might be a success, and found our premises in Whartons Court.
From the beginning the idea was to be as comprehensive as we could. People don’t know how many of their foot problems are actually caused by their shoes. Even though we’re technically a medical clinic, we stock a good range of shoes so we can show our patients samples of the kind of thing that’s going to help them be more comfortable, more mobile, and happier. In the NHS, after a consultation a patient would be left wondering what shoes they should change to, but we have this range to get them started.
We’ve actually found a real niche – a lot of people come from as far as Essex and Bury St. Edmunds, because they’ve struggled to get this kind of care elsewhere. I actually recently did a skin surgery course, which means I can biopsy a suspicious lesion within the surgery and send a sample off to the lab. We let the GP know, but it means the patient gets the process going that bit faster. There are not many podiatrists providing this service in the whole of the U.K.
Eight years on we now have four podiatrists and four part-time receptionists. And working with patients is great. They chat away while we’re looking after them, and sometimes you know it’s not just chatting, they really need somebody to hear how they’re feeling.
Getting to know patients is the best bit, but it’s tough, too, seeing time take its toll. After eight years of working with our patients, we’re all that much older, and some of those patients aren’t with us anymore. Working in cardiology in the NHS, we might lose a patient on the table, even while I was working on them, but here in the clinic we get to know people and they become more than just patients. Even though the care we offer isn’t as extreme as critical cardiac care, the people mean so much more to us because we know them and care about them. And we are making a difference, because healthy feet improves their quality of life.
When I’m not in the clinic I’m either doing paperwork – there’s so much admin behind the treatment – or taking our two greyhounds for walks, or cycling. My wife and I have a tandem bike we ride together. We also love being in the garden – we have a lovely garden with a pet miniature Berkshire pig. He certainly adds character to the garden! Coming to Norfolk was definitely a good move.
