Search Results for all things Podiatry, Chiropody Related at Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic, Chester. A Specialist Podiatrist Working to Best Practice Standards

VITALITY Insurance- What you need to know: Prior to attending your appointment you must contact VITALITY for a pre-authorisation number and also determine how much your policy excess is set at. You can call VITALITY on 0345 602 3523. You can speak to VITALITY by clicking here ​ Please note that medical devices such as orthotics and supplemental medication are not covered by VITALITY. Checklist - prior to attending your consultation at Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic you will need to : ​ Ensure that you gain a pre authorisation number from VITALITY You may require a GP referral prior to attending You will need to pay your policy excess direct to Deva Podiatry Contact VITALITY if you are in any doubt regarding your policy coverage prior to attending your Podiatry consultation Understand how much your excess is on your policy and what fees are covered by your policy and advise the clinic accordingly. In most cases you will pay for your consultation and then claim back your fees with the appropiate submission of an invoice. ​ ​VITALITY Procedure codes for podiatrists: ​ VITALITY initial consultation: No code required VITALITY follow up consultation: No code required VITALITY nail surgery: S6400 VITALITY injection: W9030 ​ Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic, Chester, Sarah Webber, VITALITY provider number via Healthcode Registration SP100361 Disclaimer: All information provided is correct as at December 1st 2020.Information is deemed as contact details and reclaim procedures in respect of policies issued by VITALITY to their clients. Deva Podiatry are not a client of VITALITY. Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic are registered with the HCPC under registration no: CH32605 and via Healthcode through registration with the Private Practice Register for the purpose of transacting Private Health Insurance Authorised payments. It is the duty of the insured to ensure that their policy is valid for the purpose of utilising it for podiatry treatment.

CIGNA Insurance- What you need to know: Prior to attending your appointment you must contact CIGNA for a pre-authorisation number and also determine how much your policy excess is set at. You can call CIGNA on 01475 788463. Existing CIGNA members can click through to there login here or email: UKinfo@Cigna.com. ​ Please note that medical devices such as orthotics and supplemental medication are not covered by CIGNA. Checklist - prior to attending your consultation at Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic you will need to : ​ Ensure that you gain a pre authorisation number from CIGNA You may require a GP referral prior to attending You will need to pay your policy excess direct to Deva Podiatry Contact CIGNA if you are in any doubt regarding your policy coverage prior to attending your Podiatry consultation Deva Podiatry can bill CIGNA directly for you if we are provided with the appropriate information. Please speak to your podiatrist at your consultation Understand how much your excess is on your policy and what fees are covered by your policy and advise the clinic accordingly In most cases you will pay for your consultation and then claim back your fees with the appropiate submission of an invoice. ​ ​ CIGNA Procedure codes for podiatrists: ​ CIGNA initial consultation: No code required CIGNA follow up consultation: No code required CIGNA nail surgery: S7010 CIGNA injection: W9030 CIGNA Local Anaesthetic: AC100 ​ Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic, Chester, Sarah Webber, CIGNA provider number 217508 Disclaimer: All information provided is correct as at December 1st 2020.Information is deemed as contact details and reclaim procedures in respect of policies issued by CIGNA to their clients. Deva Podiatry are not a client of CIGNA. Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic are registered with the HCPC under registration no: CH32605 and via Healthcode through registration with the Private Practice Register for the purpose of transacting Private Health Insurance Authorised payments. It is the duty of the insured to ensure that their policy is valid for the purpose of utilising it for podiatry treatment.

AVIVA Insurance- What you need to know: Prior to attending your appointment you must contact AVIVA for a pre-authorisation number and also determine how much your policy excess is set at. You can call AVIVA on 0800 0683827. Existing AVIVA members can click through to there login here this takes you to AVIVA. ​ Please note that medical devices such as orthotics and supplemental medication are not covered by AVIVA. Checklist - prior to attending your consultation at Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic you will need to : ​ Ensure that you gain a pre authorisation number from AVIVA You may require a GP referral prior to attending You will need to pay your policy excess direct to Deva Podiatry Contact AVIVA if you are in any doubt regarding your policy coverage prior to attending your Podiatry consultation Understand how much your excess is on your policy and what fees are covered by your policy and advise the clinic accordingly In most cases you will pay for your consultation and then claim back your fees with the appropiate submission of an invoice. ​ AVIVA Procedure codes for podiatrists: ​ AVIVA initial consultation: No code required AVIVA follow up consultation: No code required AVIVA nail surgery: S7010 AVIVA injection: W9040 AVIVA Local Anaesthetic: AC100 ​ Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic, Chester, Sarah Webber, AVIVA provider number 600138279 Disclaimer: All information provided is correct as at December 1st 2020.Information is deemed as contact details and reclaim procedures in respect of policies issued by AVIVA to their clients. Deva Podiatry are not a client of AVIVA. Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic are registered with the HCPC under registration no: CH32605 and via Healthcode through registration with the Private Practice Register for the purpose of transacting Private Health Insurance Authorised payments. It is the duty of the insured to ensure that their policy is valid for the purpose of utilising it for podiatry treatment.

WPA Insurance- What you need to know: Prior to attending your appointment you must contact WPA for a pre-authorisation number and also determine how much your policy excess is set at. You can call WPA on 0345 122 3100. You can also speak to WPA by clicking here: ​ Please note that medical devices such as orthotics and supplemental medication are not covered by WPA. Checklist - prior to attending your consultation at Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic you will need to : ​ Ensure that you gain a pre authorisation number from WPA You may require a GP referral prior to attending Contact WPA if you are in any doubt regarding your policy coverage prior to attending your Podiatry consultation Understand how much your excess is on your policy and what fees are covered by your policy and advise the clinic accordingly In most cases you will pay for your consultation and then claim back your fees with the appropiate submission of an invoice. ​ ​ WPA Procedure codes for podiatrists: ​ WPA initial consultation: No code required WPA follow up consultation: No code required WPA nail surgery: Not covered ​ Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic, Chester, Sarah Webber, WPA provider number 920979634 Disclaimer: All information provided is correct as at December 1st 2020.Information is deemed as contact details and reclaim procedures in respect of policies issued by WPA to their clients. Deva Podiatry are not a client of WPA. Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic are registered with the HCPC under registration no: CH32605 and via Healthcode through registration with the Private Practice Register for the purpose of transacting Private Health Insurance Authorised payments. It is the duty of the insured to ensure that their policy is valid for the purpose of utilising it for podiatry treatment.

Available from 16th November 2020, 24/7 you can now choose from 15 different Holiday Season designs for a Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic E-giftcard. Three of the designs are shown above. If you click on the images you will be taken direct to the SECURE Google Square Page where you can choose your desired style. Yes, if you live in Sealand near Chester or New Zealand you can now buy a Christmas E-giftcard for your loved ones in the Chester, Cheshire and North Wales area. New Deva Podiatry Online Electronic Gift Card In Association with Google and Square Wherever you live in the World it is now possible to buy, send and receive a Deva Podiatry Gift Card!!!! In August 2020 Square and Google My Business joined forces and introduced an electronic gift voucher system. Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic have a link to the dedicated Deva Podiatry gift vouchers by clicking here The online gift card is safe, secure and conveniently available to be accessed 24 hours a day- perfect for last minute unexpected occasions. When you access the card you enter basic information, input the value required and choose one of nearly 30 card designs to personalise the card for your loved one. The payment is protected by Google and Square and forwarded to Deva Podiatry. The designs are suitable for all occasions. The Deva Podiatry Electronic Gift Card is perfect for the forthcoming Holiday Season, infact any occasion that warrants or just for a gift to a loved one. We have had requests for gift vouchers from around the world -as it would seem that far flung relatives unsure of how to purchase gifts and vouchers for loved ones in the Chester, Cheshire and North Wales area have identified via the Deva Podiatry Google My Business page that Deva Podiatry is a highly rated, best practice google reviewed safe and secure medical clinic to purchase an electronic gift voucher from! NOTE:If you click on Deva Podiatry Google Reviews you can get up to date information on how our patients rate their experience. If you have the good fortune to receive an electronic gift card and are unsure how to redeem it simply make contact with Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic by messaging us here or call the clinic for more help. You may be wondering- "Who would actually buy a voucher as a gift for a medical treatment?" That's a great question. What follows are some of the explanations given to us. Maybe one of them fits perfectly to that someone we all know that its just impossible to buy for! "I've been telling my husband for years to go and have his feet looked at but hes always too busy". "My Mum has struggled since she had a hip operation to reach and cut her toenails, this voucher might be a great way to introduce her to improved foot health carried out by a medical professional". "My boyfriend has tried everything to sort out his fungal nail problem, this voucher might show him a professional treatment plan that he can believe in!" " It would be nice for my husband to have his feet looked at professionally as his health is not so good these days." " I live 4 hours away from Chester. If I purchase a block of vouchers it will ensure that my parents commence regular foot health maintenance that might keep them active as they get older". " Your voucher is a perfect gift for my Aunt. We've mentioned the importance of foot health to her. With this voucher its a great way to encourage her to take medical advice." " I slipped the voucher in with some new socks for my husband. We'd noticed his nails needed some attention. It was a perfect opportunity to get him to do something about it!". " My husband works away and is home for the Christmas Period. Its a perfect gift to help him keep in control of his feet. His job requires him to wear steel toe caps and his toe nails are always damaged." "My granddaughter is so difficult to buy for she lives in Chester and I thought how wonderful to give her a voucher when she visits at Christmas that she could use when she returns home in the New Year." FOOTNOTE: When you consider buying a gift card / voucher a positive consideration is that a gift card bought from a local business trading in your local area contributes tremendously towards supporting your local small business community. A Chester business supplying a service to the Local, Chester, Cheshire and Wrexham, North Wales area is invaluable to the area. Whether you choose to purchase a gift card / voucher for podiatry treatment at Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic or another valued independent business you do so in the knowledge that you helping to support your local economy at this critical time.

As we move towards the end of what can only be described as the strangest year in most of our lifetimes there is a shining light for most of us to look forward to. That is of course the Christmas Holiday Season. Here at Deva Podiatry we recognise that the changes,have brought difficulties to many in accessing traditional christmas shopping. At Deva Podiatry we have available two forms of Gift Certificate or Voucher that are an ideal gift for loved ones at this time. Our traditional card voucher-complete with its presentation box and gift bag are now available in time for Christmas 2020. We have made some changes to the procedure this year to tie in with guidelines. Cards can be pre-purchased directly from the clinic .We ask that guidelines are observed and that you purchase gift vouchers within an allocated appointment or make contact with the clinic online. Payment may be prepayment and for extra piece of mind this information can be taken by phone. For those not wishing to give out card details the online gift card method introduced below is an ideal solution. Where you may require the gift voucher/box and bag to be sent to you this is possible but there will be an extra charge of £3 to cover postage and packing and Royal Mail proof of delivery. The gift vouchers are given a 6 month period to expiry. In these exceptional times, we recognise that there may be a need to extend this period. We will honour all vouchers that are due to expire within a lockdown period by offering an extension if the need arises. New Deva Podiatry Online Electronic Gift Card In Association with Google and Square Wherever you live in the World it is now possible to buy, send and receive a Deva Podiatry Gift Card!!!! In August 2020 Square and Google My Business joined forces and introduced an electronic gift voucher system. Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic have a link to the dedicated Deva Podiatry gift vouchers by clicking here The online gift card is safe, secure and conveniently available to be accessed 24 hours a day- perfect for last minute unexpected occasions. When you access the card you enter basic information, input the value required and choose one of nearly 30 card designs to personalise the card for your loved one. The payment is protected by Google and Square and forwarded to Deva Podiatry. The designs are suitable for all occasions. The Deva Podiatry Electronic Gift Card is perfect for Birthdays, Christmas, Mothers Day, infact any occasion that warrants or just for a gift to a loved one. We have had requests for gift vouchers from around the world -as it would seem that far flung relatives unsure of how to purchase gifts and vouchers for loved ones in the Chester, Cheshire and North Wales area have identified via the Deva Podiatry Google My Business page that Deva Podiatry is a highly rated, best practice google reviewed safe and secure medical clinic to purchase an electronic gift voucher from! NOTE:If you click on Deva Podiatry Google Reviews you can get up to date information on how our patients rate their experience. If you have the good fortune to receive an electronic gift card and are unsure how to redeem it simply make contact with Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic by messaging us here or call the clinic for more help. You may be wondering- "Who would actually buy a voucher as a gift for a medical treatment?" That's a great question. What follows are some of the explanations given to us. Maybe one of them fits perfectly to that someone we all know that its just impossible to buy for! "I've been telling my husband for years to go and have his feet looked at but hes always too busy". "My Mum has struggled since she had a hip operation to reach and cut her toenails, this voucher might be a great way to introduce her to improved foot health carried out by a medical professional". "My boyfriend has tried everything to sort out his fungal nail problem, this voucher might show him a professional treatment plan that he can believe in!" " It would be nice for my husband to have his feet looked at professionally as his health is not so good these days." " I live 4 hours away from Chester. If I purchase a block of vouchers it will ensure that my parents commence regular foot health maintenance that might keep them active as they get older". " Your voucher is a perfect gift for my Aunt. We've mentioned the importance of foot health to her. With this voucher its a great way to encourage her to take medical advice." " I slipped the voucher in with some new socks for my husband. We'd noticed his nails needed some attention. It was a perfect opportunity to get him to do something about it!". " My husband works away and is home for the Christmas Period. Its a perfect gift to help him keep in control of his feet. His job requires him to wear steel toe caps and his toe nails are always damaged." "My granddaughter is so difficult to buy for she lives in Chester and I thought how wonderful to give her a voucher when she visits at Christmas that she could use when she returns home in the New Year." FOOTNOTE: When you consider buying a gift card / voucher a positive consideration is that a gift card bought from a local business trading in your local area contributes tremendously towards supporting your local small business community. A Chester business supplying a service to the Local, Chester, Cheshire and Wrexham, North Wales area is invaluable to the area. Whether you choose to purchase a gift card / voucher for podiatry treatment at Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic or another valued independent business you do so in the knowledge that you helping to support your local economy at this critical time.

A patient had read my previous post on exceptional quality podiatry instruments and we had a conversation regarding in-clinic hygiene systems. This lead me to realise that it was a great opportunity to put together a blog post relating to the procedures start to finish in ensuring that Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic maintains top rated, highest standard podiatry practice in clinic. So below stage by stage and related to the images above is the full process! Note On P.P.E Best practice requires that throughout the clinic sterilization process P.P.E .is worn by the clinician undertaking the sterilization of podiatry equipment. The process commences before the clinic opens and finishes after the clinic has closed. Stage 1 Boil 3.5 litres of tap water and add it to the specialist distiller. Over the next 3 hours the distiller will maintain a boiling temperature of 100 deg C . This process converts through distillation, tap water into approximately 3- 3.3 litres of distilled water. Around 200ml of water is lost to vapour and what remains in the distiller is a residue of super fine particles/ scaling /minerals.This residue is removed from the distiller so as to allow the distiller to be clean for its next operation. The distilled water is then utilised in 2 ways. Stage 2(a) Approximately 2 litres of distilled water is added to the clinic autoclave. Later in the day this will be utilised. Stage 2(b) Approximately 3.5 litres of distilled water is added to the podiatry clinic ultra-sonic cleanser. The ultrasonic cleanser is then set to achieve a target temperature of 75 degC. This target takes around 4 hours. Stage 3 Immediately after each patient has been seen the podiatry chiropody instruments are placed into a dedicated vessel containing cold sterile distilled water. The instruments are scrubbed to remove any debris and prepared ready to be added to the ultrasonic cleaner. Each new treatment / patient requires a new set of sterilized instruments to be used in clinic. At Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic we have a supply equal to 2 days of patient requirements. When a clinic sterilization system is set up as a daily process we can ensure that our stocks of sterilized instruments are always at hand. Stage 4 We set the ultrasonic cleaner to maintain a temperature of 75 deg C. The instruments are added to the tank with a small solution of cleaning agent and the programme is set for 25 minutes of sonic cleaning. ( My least favourite part as the machine creates a high frequency shrill!!!!!) Stage 5 Once cleaned in the ultrasonic cleaner the podiatry chiropody equipment is ready for the autoclave. The instruments are removed from the tank of the ultrasonic cleaner and laid out across the dedicated autoclave shelves. The guidelines require that the instruments must be placed on to the shelves without touching another instrument. (This ensures that the steam can reach all surfaces of the instrument). When required toenail nippers are then lubricated with a medical lubricating spray. The autoclave is the beating heart of the modern podiatry chiropody clinic. At Deva Podiatry we use an Eschmann Little Sister. Our autoclave is calibrated and serviced every 12 months by a specialised autoclave engineering company. It is fitted with a data-logger. A data-logger records and logs a set of values for each occasion that the autoclave runs through a cycle. The basic figures are that the autoclave should reach an internal temperature of 135 deg C for a continued period of 3 minutes and 15 seconds. If the autoclave cannot achieve this it fails its cycle, the error is logged and the autoclave must be serviced. The fail safe for this level of sterilization record keeping is that to be sterile and fit for purpose the autoclave has to pass its cycle and data log. The cycle contains a drying cycle that removes most of the surface residual steam deposits. Any remaining deposits are removed with lint free disposable clinic sheets. At this point I can explain why distilled sterilized water is used. The natural mineral deposits contained within tap water-even when boiled can effect the internal surface areas of the autoclave, water distiller and ultrasonic cleaner.If tap water was used for this process the steaming action under pressure would deposit residue onto the podiatry tools. The residue not only creates an effect of an instrument being "dirty" but it can also promote growth of pathogens over time. Once the cycle is completed the instruments are finally ready to be bagged into sterile pouches. We date stamp each pouch. Best Practice Guidelines ensure that instruments can be placed in sterile pouches for up to 1 year. Our system of strict rotation ensures that podiatry instruments are sterilized and ready to be used in clinic for 1 to 14 days. Some instruments are not used within a routine appointment. For instance specialist nail surgery instruments may only be used once a week and specialist ingrown toenail removal instruments may be used once or twice daily. The added benefit of a dating system ensures that such instruments are brought back into sterilization more frequently by utilising our 2 week expiry to renew sterilization policy. We have dedicated drawers and storage systems for our instruments. The routine podiatry instruments are placed into one side of a drawer to comply with our rotation. The nail surgery instruments and ingrown toenail removal instruments have their own dedicated drawer storage system. Not yet mentioned in the Deva Podiatry clinic sterilization and rotation system are the tools related to Fungal Toenail Treatment via The Lacuna Method. Fungal Nail Infection has the ability to spread and infect other toes. When it is identified as part of a treatment plan that fungal infection is present there is a need to proceed with extra caution. For example the primary purpose of the Lacuna Method is to eradicate fungal infection from infected areas of toes. Once a specialised tool has come into contact with such an area it is potentially contaminated with fungus and must be placed aside. You can see and hopefully understand that the sterilization system within a clinic is thorough in its attention to detail. The procedures and guidelines are set by NICE and the College Of Podiatry to ensure that best practice clinical standards are adopted. We are also required to keep additional records relating to our in clinic sterilization system to identify that it is fit for purpose. Where we use single use instruments they are always disposed of in an appropriate manner, for example we use single use , highest standard, Sheffield Made Swann Morton Scalpel blades which are disposed of in a sharps bin- after each patient treatment.The reusable stainless steel handles are only ever used in an individual appointment. Each patient is treated with a freshly sterilized blade handle. At the end of the appointment it is placed into the clinic sterilization system. It has been common practice in "pop up" nail bars to use files and instruments repeatedly through the day on numerous clients. For many the realisation that this is poor hygiene and sterilisation has never been a consideration. In this year of huge changes our attitudes towards hygiene, sanitisation and sterilization have changed forever. Its reassuring to know that Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic has adopted best practice guidelines in clinic procedures and protocols that will allow you to feel that your feet are always in safe hands.!

A few weeks back I posted to the blog a fantastic image showing a toenail spike that had just been removed from a patients ingrown toenail. The image or photo has created some interest both in the clinic from patients and from around the world from fellow podiatrists. For me ( not known as the “Worlds Greatest Photographer” and famous in my family for missing out heads from family photos) this was a particularly satisfying moment! A lot of interest was shown in the size of the spike but even more interest was shown in my “snazzy” rainbow coloured tweezers. This week as part of Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinics ongoing policy to “renew, replace and improve” I placed an order with Sheffield Surgical Instrument Manufacturer -Heeley Surgical www.heeleysurgical.com for replacement instruments from their Titanium Coated Podiatry Instrument Range. The order has arrived today and the images above show the instruments. If you are interested in the technicalities here’s some extra information. Heeley Surgical “ For the ultimate in podiatry instruments, look no further than our titanium coated product range. A thin coating of Titanium is applied to the stainless steel surface and provides an abrasion resistant coating which is up to 5 times that of normal stainless steel, whilst also hardening and protecting cutting and sliding surfaces. Titanium has long been utilised in the tooling industry to extend the life of drill bits, to reduce friction and to enhance resistance to the effects of corrosion. Heeley Surgical Titanium Instruments are supplied with a 3 year guarantee against poor workmanship and faulty materials”. In short at Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic Chester we are investing in the Best Of British Manufactured Products available to us. Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic Chester use Heeley Podiatry Instruments for all nail surgery, nail avulsion surgery and ingrown or ingrowing toenail removal. Heeleys don’t just manufacture the product, they also go into detail within their website on best practice procedures for ensuring that the surgical instruments are maintained to a pristine condition. For a Podiatrist who sets high standards and works to Podiatry best practice this is great news. At Deva Podiatry we are able to take the advice on caring for your surgical instruments and combine it with best clinical practice guidelines for sterilization and sanitisation of surgical instruments. A forthcoming blog post will look behind the scenes of Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic and set out the rigorous sterilization procedure we go through to ensure that all our podiatry surgical instruments are absolutely fit for purpose. For any one concerned about sterilization and sanitization in the post covid world this post, we hope will be reassuring. In regards to surgical instruments Heeleys care recommendations include the following information:- It is so important to properly clean, sterilise and store your instruments. How should I clean my instruments? This depends on how sterile your protocol requires them to be. First rinse the instrument in pH neutral distilled water and remove any contaminants or debris. Use a fresh neutral pH solvent and then a soft brush for the tough cleaning. If you steam autoclave make sure that you use the manufacturer's for your autoclave (clean neutral pH distilled water), and that your high quality instruments are not mixed with instruments of inferior quality. Impurities from the lower quality instrument can start a corrosive action on your higher quality ones. Be sure that a full drying cycle is used. Overlapping joints may have dampness within the joint, increasing the chance of corrosion. This can be prevented in three ways; assure the full drying cycle is complete, apply silicone grease inside the joint as a protective layer, or by use of air canister or to blow moisture out of overlapping parts. Instruments can also be cleaned ultrasonically but must be immediately rinsed and dried. It is recommended that ultrasonic cleaning is the best and most cost effective way to clean surgical instruments. If ultrasonic cleaning is not available instruments may be cleaned manually using a pH neutral detergent, distilled water and a soft instrument cleaning brush. Never use bleach to clean any surgical instruments. The high pH of bleach causes surface deposits of brown stains and might even corrode the instrument. Even high quality stainless steel is not impervious to a bleach solution. Apply a surgical instrument lubricant - following the manufacturer's instructions. Lubrication is the most important action you can take to extend the life of your instruments. The use of a surgical instrument lubricant will prevent spotting from mineral deposits left behind by water after cleaning. Corrosion can also be prevented by the application of lubricant. Corrosion starts in the pores of the metal and is often related to improper cleaning. With proper handling and lubrication the surface of your stainless steel instruments will develop a thin hard coating, similar to oxidation, which will help prevent damage from corrosion. Known as the passivation layer, it makes the instruments more resistant to staining and rusting. In addition to stain and corrosion protection lubrication reduces reduces friction at the joints, keeping the action of the instrument light, delicate and smooth - extending the life of the instrument by reducing wear. WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THERE WAS SO MUCH TO IT? FOOTNOTE added 18th November 2020 I was recently asked a valid question regarding the quality and source of surgical instruments. The question was: " Aren't All these tools made to a set standard?" I would like to say- Yes, they are manufactured to the same standard across the world. Unfortunately that is not so. An investigation by the BMA discovered that in many countries there is an industry of sweat shops that employ children to work long hours grinding and filing instruments for little or no money. The instruments are then moved on to finishing shops, where they are improved and finished. The quality and source of such items is difficult to determine. The extra crafting and refining that is involved in the manufacture of Heeley Surgical Instruments in Sheffield -we believe justifies the investment. It is possible to purchase surgical instruments online for prices as much as 90% cheaper than Heeley Instruments. However, the quality of these instruments is often sub standard.The quality of the steel is unknown, the plating may be to a lesser grade but critically the finish to the cutting edges is unlikely to rival that of the Heeley Instruments. For this reason you can rest assured that your Feet Are In Safe Hands!

For the past five years ,around about this time in mid October I look forward to the opportunity to visit an Internationally recognised Podiatry Exhibition that is dedicated to all things podiatry related. As a podiatrist who gained their Podiatry degree from Salford, did her training in the region, works within acute diabetic podiatry in the Liverpool area and has a private practice in Chester I am especially proud of the fact that The Foot & Ankle Show has been held initially at Salford and in the last couple of years in Liverpool. The shows organiser is a highly motivated fellow podiatrist from Manchester. Sadly in 2020 as events unfolded it became clear that the ability to hold such an exhibition in a conference centre would be all but important. The good news is that OSGO pulled out all the stops and were able to transform the show into an online virtual reality version of the usual show. On Friday 16th October I spent a number of hours visiting over 50 exhibitors who had signed up to the exhibition hall of the virtual conference. Many of my suppliers were present and were showcasing new and exciting developments in the field of Podiatry and Podiatric Medicine. There were suppliers from across Europe, North America and Australia who had embraced this new online concept. Over the coming months, I have identified a number of exciting new developments in podiatry that I hope to incorporate into the podiatry services offered at Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic Chester. In addition there are a number of new products available to the United Kingdom that may be of benefit to patients in easing some of the daily discomfort they face from various foot health conditions. Some of these products would not normally be supplied via a podiatry treatment or a direct recommendation from a podiatrist but are never the less worthy of featuring in a future blog post as they are technically or medically advanced enough to review. Day two of the exhibition and I was able to relax at home on the sofa, earbuds in and with the ipad in front of me whilst some of the leading speakers in the field of Podiatry gave online accounts of the future of podiatry. Overall it was a positive experience and the team at OSGO need commending for their vision and dedication to ensuring that a digital exhibition was a credible alternative. As a health care professional I am doing all that I can to ensure that safe practices are in place in these difficult times. From Online booking and Covid-19 questionnaires to implementation of QR Codes for track and trace. We never stop looking for ways to minimise risk to patients and ourselves. This week we introduced into the clinic a small additional safety improvement. When you enter the clinic the hand sanitizer is now contained within a sensor activated dispenser! Deva Podiatry where your feet and now your hands are in safe hands!

Since opening in July 2018 we have built a reputation for providing best practice high quality podiatry chiropody for our private patients. A podiatrist carries out routine podiatry such as nail cutting and removal of hard skin. More specialist podiatrists have a broader skill set. At Deva Podiatry our goal is to help you resolve your foot health problems. Nail Surgery and Ingrown Toenail removal, specialist advice and gentle rehabilitation of plantar fasciitis related foot health problems, Verrucae treatment with Verrutop for Adults and Children. The Lacuna Method of Fungal Toenail Treatment. All carried out at our Chester Footcare Clinic. Initially many of our clients came to the clinic from the area around Chester bounded by Wrexham Road known as Westminster Park ,Curzon Park and Handbridge and Chester Business Park. Over time and as word spread regarding the attention received and our immaculately presented clinic we noticed that patients were travelling from across Cheshire, The Wirral, Warrington and Ellesmere Port to have a treatment at Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic. It is now very normal to discover that a patient is visiting from Flintshire, Mold,Prestatyn, Holywell or Flint. They describe our easy access from the A55 into Chester as a factor they consider alongside our willingness to be proactive and provide information on Podiatry treatments. Other patients travel along the A483 Wrexham Road from as far as Oswestry, Wrexham and Chirk to receive Podiatry Chiropody treatment. Again they mention the ability to identify that our website is informative on a broad range of foot care treatments and conditions allows them to make an informed and safe choice. In the ever-changing climate we now find ourselves in it is important to research and identify that trust can be found when researching an appropriate foot care practice. Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic are working hard to maintain an up to date and relevant website and social media presence. We have direct website links to the World Health Organisation, Public Health England, Dept Of Health and our governing body The College Of Podiatry. If there is an important announcement or critical change in policy we can be up to date within 24 hours. We think that is reassuring. Today September 24th 2020, The government has introduced a new level to track and trace with the role out of premises specific QR codes to be read by a smartphone. This should be seen as an added reassurance that premises that are displaying the poster have patient /customer protection at heart. Deva Podiatry are now displaying our unique premises code within the clinic. It was generated by the Dept Of Health and sent to us today and is identified below. So when you decide to make an appointment with Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic you can be assured of the following criteria being met:- The clinic is a member of The College Of Podiatry The podiatrist is a current registered member of The College Of Podiatry The podiatrist is registered as a podiatrist/ chiropodist with the HCPC (The government register for highly qualified practitioners in around 20 specialisms of healthcare. The podiatrist / chiropodist is being constantly updated on changes in healthcare provision via The College Of Podiatry and Dept Of Health. Secure electronic record keeping via registration under GDPR at the ICO. Our records follow best practice guidelines set out by NICE and The College Of Podiatry. Covid-19 electronic form linked in to our records. Electronic cashless payment system in place. At Deva Podiatry we are not just about good record keeping. We have gained a reputation for excellent service and feedback identifies that friendly and professional are two of many aspects cited by patients in reviews. In uncertain times its good to know that Your Feet Are In Safe Hands.

The image above is published with the permission of the patient. They made contact with the clinic and were seen at very short notice on a Saturday morning. The patient had researched and was concerned that Nail Surgery was their only option. We booked the appointment and went through the necessary consultation. Fortunately, for this patient the root of his considerable pain was the offending nail spike shown in the image above. It was removed cleanly and efficiently and the relief and smile on the patients face is a reminder of what makes a Podiatrists work so satisfying. Fortunately, at Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic we have a collection of highest quality instruments that are manufactured specifically for the job. The beautifully rainbow coloured instrument pictured is a titanium coated instrument manufactured by Sheffield based Heeley Surgical Limited. Since being introduced to Heeley Instruments we have slowly moved towards converting our stock of instruments to exclusively Heeley. When a nail surgery or ingrown toenail removal is required you can be reassured that the balance between precision and delicateness is met by the uncompromising quality in materials and construction used by this Great British Company. Not only do they carry the CE mark but also they comply with the requirements of all ISO international management systems. I know to some reading this will sound dull. Well earlier this week I ordered two sets of titanium nippers from one of my podiatry suppliers. They looked like Heeley , were priced similarly and critically carried the CE mark. How disappointed I was when I received them. Sure enough on first inspection the nippers passed for Heeley. On closer inspection though, they were heavy and clunky and felt wrong. When I contacted my supplier I was surprised to discover that they were a generic copy made elsewhere. Maybe I missed the small print when ordering but what made it worse was that the supplier had available and in stock Heeley Nippers for a price of around 10% more. How I wish that in the current climate we could be doing more to support the cherished British Companies and products who are losing out to inferior imitations on price rather than quality. Quality will always command a premium price and for many they are reassured that whether its nippers or an emergency ingrown toenail removal - quality is never compromised.

Yesterday whilst shopping in Boots, I took the opportunity to walk on over and peruse the section dedicated to foot health. Every time I visit, the range of products seems to be ever increasing both in choice and price! Similarly, If you type in to Google ( or Bing) a request for todays blog title" Fungal Nail Treatment" the information returned will be a mad panic of dozens of companies offering you their version of a cure-all for fungal nail treatment. Fungal Nail is one of the foot conditions most seen in clinic and as such I am familiar with the names of many of the products aimed at fungal nail - from many peoples experience of them either from purchasing online or from high street retailers. When people visit a podiatrist;such as myself,it tends to be at the point when all hope in such products working has been lost. There are a combination of reasons why this is so. Fungal nail conditions can be present on and around a nail for many months or years going pretty much unnoticed in many people. Other people notice that over time one particular nail is presenting as a fungal nail. Maybe it starts to yellow slightly or in other cases crumbling occurs and the nail starts to become unsightly. In others slightly weakened immunity or underlying symptoms of another condition can contribute to changes to the nail. For many a trip to the foot care section will, they hope,bring about a swift resolution to the issue. But then you have to make choices. Do you read the small print and directions? Maybe you try to compare on price and then notice that one product is £10 for 10ml and another is £30 for 3ml so is TEN TIMES dearer! Does this mean it works ten times faster? or is ten times as good? You look at another product and like the funky packaging and the nifty container. It contains an active ingredient at 0.5% ( so must be good).The small print tells you that the bottle is £20 is expected to last 2-3 weeks and that success is not guaranteed for anyone who does not continue to apply the product twice daily for 6-9 months. A quick calculation and you realise that this product is going to cost £300 plus. Rather than leave empty handed you choose either one bottle of the cheapest and "give it a go" or a mid range product that you think was used by your great aunt in the 1950's so must be good because its still around! Or maybe you do nothing, leave empty handed and decide to research more on the internet! Then, you discover that vinegar, baking soda, tooth paste and even vicks vaporub ( Yes Really !!!) are amongst the wonder cures recommended. A couple of weeks of trial, error and various concoctions and the fungal nail still remains refusing to go. One last visit to the internet and you are bombarded by "Americas No1 Fungal Treatment" who are ready to offer you a lifetimes supply for a one off special price of just $500 in three easy installments! If this sounds like you -don't worry, the above is pretty much the standard path taken by many people who visit us at Deva Podiatry seeking advice and a resolution of their fungal nail infection. This week a new patient visited Deva Podiatry looking for advice on how to address their fungal nail issues. The scenario listed above was pretty much their story. However, in addition they had made a visit to a clinic elsewhere approximately 12 months ago. The clinician offered no solution or in clinic supervised treatment programme. Instead a recommendation to purchase an off the shelf product that "whitens" the nail so that it appears to have improved was given. I mention this here with very heavy disappointment. A cornerstone to visiting Deva Podiatry is that we want to help you and resolve your foot health problem. It is what we are passionate about. We want to put you on a path to better foot health. There have been many advances in podiatry in recent years and it is important that a podiatrist can, where possible combine their knowledge and experience with best practice modern podiatry methods, so that they can satisfy the patients requirements. Upon consultation , the patient referred to above met the criteria for embarking on Nail Fenestration or the Lacuna Method at Deva Podiatry Foot Health Clinic. Within the consultation considerable work was carried out to remove most of the infected fungal nail to one toe and prepare a second toe for treatment.Over the next 6 months they will visit clinic once every 5-6 weeks for a 40 minute review which includes further nail treatment as the new nail grows through. The fee structure for this treatment is clearly listed on the treatment page and is comparable to the pricing of regular routine podiatry. If anything you have read here resonates with you then either contact us via the contact form with a brief description of your fungal nail problem ( not too graphic please!) or when you make an appointment there is an opportunity to state that the appointment will be for fungal nail consultation. It should be noted that in a small number of cases a patient will present with advanced fungal nail infection. In such an event your Podiatrist will advise as to why Fungal Nail Treatment ( Fenestration) is not a practical solution and other alternative nail management arrangements will be discussed. Images of your condition will be taken at the time of consultation and are used within your clinic treatment notes to record the treatment process. Images are never reused or passed on to third parties. Fungal Nail Treatment under supervision of a Podiatrist has proven to be a successful treatment of Resolution Podiatry. We at Deva Podiatry proactively promote Resolution Podiatry and define it as treatment where the patient and Podiatrist proactively work towards better foot health care and management by implementing changes to foot health that have proven to have a positive impact on overall health and well-being. You can find out more by clicking on our webpage dedicated to fungal nail treatment here.