Industries
Why hospital staff leave and how to understand why
Nurses, doctors, technicians and support staff leave hospitals for different reasons. How to run a respectful exit conversation, spot patterns and act.
7 min readRead article
Healthcare
HR for Podiatry Clinics: Podiatrists, Assistants and Diabetic Foot Care
A podiatry clinic looks after feet, from sports injuries to diabetic wounds, usually with a very small team. Here is how to run the people side when each person matters.
Not sure what you need? Tell us about your business in six short steps and we will come to the first meeting prepared.
Share your requirementsHow the work is organised
A podiatry clinic treats problems of the feet and lower limbs: corns, nail conditions, heel pain, flat feet, sports injuries and, for people with diabetes, ulcers and wound care. Practices are small, often one or two podiatrists with an assistant and a front desk, and some work inside physiotherapy centres, diabetes clinics or hospitals. Services include orthotic insoles and footwear advice, which may involve scanning or casting and a small workshop or an outside supplier. Many patients are older, have limited mobility or live with diabetes and come back at regular intervals for dressings and checks. Podiatry is a smaller profession in India, so finding trained staff is slow. See also HR for healthcare. What makes HR different here is scarcity and scale: a clinic of three people has little cover, little career structure and a heavy dependence on one qualified person.
Who does the work
- Podiatrists
- Diabetic foot and wound care nurses
- Podiatry assistants
- Orthotics and insole technicians
- Footwear and product counter staff
- Front desk and scheduling staff
- Visiting vascular or diabetes specialists
Where HR strains in podiatry clinics
Trained podiatrists are hard to find
Few people hold the training, so a vacancy can sit open for months while a clinic cuts its hours or turns patients away.
One person holds the clinic together
With a single podiatrist, leave or illness closes the clinic, and there is no one to step in.
Wound care patients need continuity
A patient with a diabetic ulcer returns often, and changes of clinician disrupt follow-up and risk missed signs of worsening.
Assistants take on clinical tasks without a boundary
Dressings and basic procedures slide to assistants over time, with no written view of what they may do and who checks.
Older patients need time and help
Visits take longer for patients who need help to walk, undress or understand, and schedules built on short slots overrun.
Product sales sit awkwardly beside care
Insoles and footwear bring income, but staff paid on sales may recommend products too readily.
What a working HR set-up looks like
- 01
Plan cover for a single-clinician clinic
A standing arrangement with a visiting or partner podiatrist for leave and illness, and a written way to tell patients when the clinic is closed or reduced. The fractional HR management model suits small clinics that lack a full-time HR person.
- 02
Create a continuity routine for wound patients
A shared record and a handover note so any clinician can pick up a dressing visit, plus a named person who contacts patients who miss a visit.
- 03
Write down what assistants may do
A list of tasks an assistant carries out alone, under supervision and not at all. The role design and job descriptions work puts it on paper.
- 04
Set appointment lengths by patient type
Longer slots for wound care and older patients, shorter for routine nail care, built into the schedule so the day does not overrun.
- 05
Plan a long search for a podiatrist
Start early, widen to training a physiotherapist or nurse in foot care where appropriate, and use the recruitment process to keep a warm list of candidates.
What to put in place first
- Write down who treats patients if your only podiatrist is unwell tomorrow.
- List the tasks your assistants currently perform and mark which ones you are not sure about.
- Check the appointment slot length for wound care patients against how long visits actually take.
- Look at how product sales are rewarded and whether staff are paid for recommending insoles.
- Confirm with a qualified professional the registration, record-keeping and employment obligations that apply to your podiatry clinic.
Confirm with a qualified professional. What applies to you depends on your business, your state and your arrangements, and it changes. This page describes practice. It does not state a legal position.
Where GullyHR helps
- Fractional HR management
Part-time HR support for a clinic too small for an HR hire, covering hiring, documents and day-to-day questions.
- Role design and job descriptions
Clear boundaries between podiatrist, nurse and assistant, with supervision written down.
- Recruitment process
A steady approach to finding scarce clinical staff, with a structured assessment and a candidate list kept warm.
- Learning and development
A plan to train assistants and cross-train clinicians so the clinic can cover for absence.
Every engagement starts by recording where you stand, and every later report compares against that. We do not promise outcomes. Start with a free conversation, or see the paid HR Diagnostic.
Blogs worth reading first
From the GullyHR blog: one on HR in healthcare, and one on each of the topics this page points to.
HR Management
"We need two more people": the headcount plan nobody wrote
Hiring decisions made one request at a time, in the month the pain is worst. What a workforce plan contains and why a twelve-month view changes what you hire.
7 min readRead article
HR Process
Why new hires don't turn up on day one, and what to do between offer and joining
Candidates who accept and never arrive are usually lost in the silence between offer and joining. What actually causes it, and a contact plan that closes the gap.
8 min readRead article
HR Management
Everyone reports to the founder: when and how to redesign the structure
A flat structure works until the founder becomes the only route to a decision. How to tell when you have passed that point, and how to redesign without a reorganisation.
8 min readRead articleMore on the GullyHR blog.
Questions owners ask
Arrange cover in advance with a visiting or partner clinician, and decide how patients are told when the clinic is closed. Without a plan, one absence stops your income.
Start the search early, keep a list of past candidates and consider training suitable nurses or physiotherapists in foot care. Offer a clear path for growth.
Set it down in writing with the clinician in charge: tasks done alone, under supervision and never. Review it each year as the clinic changes.
Name one person to track missed visits, keep notes that any clinician can read and book the next visit before the patient leaves.
It can work if the clinician decides what is needed and the reward does not push recommendations. Keep sales incentives small beside care measures.
We would talk through who treats patients if your podiatrist is away, what your assistants currently do, and whether appointment slots match how long wound care visits really take. A practical first step is a cover plan for a single-clinician clinic, or a short written list of assistant tasks. We agree the scope in writing afterwards, kept proportionate to a small team.
More on HR for healthcare
All 29 business types in healthcare · Find another business type