Both the Lewisham and Oxted practices have been in existence since the mid 1970’s. Peter and Tina Allton took over the Lewisham practice 20 years ago in 2001 when it was renamed as The Circle Podiatry practice. They subsequently expanded acquiring the Oxted practice 10 years ago in 2011

Yes – any Podiatrist that works in the practice will be fully qualified and registered with the HCPC.

Yes all our staff are double vaccinated

Peter qualified over 30 years ago in 1988 from the then Chelsea school of Chiropody/Podiatry. In that time, he has seen over a quarter of a million feet!

The simple answer to that is None – it is an interchangeable name.

Your initial appointment is 30 minutes long(unless you request a longer duration)
It involves the following:
We have to carry out an initial assessment of your feet which will include a foot health check (we sometimes refer to it as a Foot MOT)
This focuses on visible changes such as skin cancer, fungal infections, malignant melanomas, your circulatory status, pulses and nerve functions (as these can highlight the early stages of diseases), and a brief look into Foot structure as this can often have hidden problems likely to cause foot and lower limb issues later in life . This will take between 5 and 10 minutes.
Next we will focus on the problem or problems you have, taking a thorough history of the problem and finding what your priority is for us to address.
We will then investigate and where possible diagnose your problem before discussing treatment options and advice which will form part of your personal treatment plan. The duration of this can vary as no two feet or 2 problems are exactly the same.
Usually there is then time to carry out treatment with your No 1 priority being addressed first.

Usually there is then time to carry out treatment with your No 1 priority being addressed first.

This is a bit like the “How long is a piece of string “question. There are feet and then there are FEET – each of you will come with different problems and what might appear simple to you might be more involved.

Often, we are able to fix the problem in the first appointment but some conditions such as corns and hard skin are likely to reform over a period of weeks or months. – your Podiatrist will inform you of your recommended return time.
We will always try to carry out as much treatment as possible addressing your problems in order of their priority to you.
Occasionally we might spot something more serious in which case we will always discuss with you why we should focus on that first.
Some conditions will require further treatments and/or investigations such as gait analysis or referral for imaging.

Some conditions such as corns and hard skin are likely to reform over a period of weeks or months. – your Podiatrist will inform you of your recommended return time. If you present with an infection or wound such as an ingrowing toe nail –you are likely to need a redressing later that week.

Yes, Children of all ages can be seen. In fact, our recommendation is that all kids get assessed twice before they start secondary school’ particularly to assess for any foot structure issues.

Yes, although not too near to the birth – we haven’t had any in clinic births yet. It is important you tell us if you are pregnant, trying for a baby or nursing as some treatments may not be suitable.

Most of the time there will be minimal or no pain at all. We aim to minimize any pain although if you are coming in with something painful, then the nerves are already sensitized. For some conditions we might advise the use of local anesthetic although injections in the feet are not pleasant.

This is another difficult question to answer as what might be great for one person’s foot type could be terrible for another. Usually, a supportive shoe that cannot be twisted and which has a strap or lace to hold the foot back in the shoe. It should have with a wide enough and not too pointed toe box that also isn’t too shallow

We have had many patients experience benefit from having bespoke orthotics prescribed for the first time in their 80’s. Our approach is always to examine thoroughly and then introduce them gradually whilst monitoring closely any benefits or complications.

Not everyone will benefit. However, your foot is extremely complex and feet commonly have issues with their structure which can lead to sub-optimum function. Additionally, your feet are subject to tremendous forces and wear and tear as they carry you on average 5 times around the world. Also, even if you have a great foot structure, very few of us are walking around as God intended- barefoot on uneven surfaces. Instead, we cram them into shoes and walk on hard flat surfaces. It is no wonder so many of us end up with problems.

There is on street paid for parking in Lewisham and Free on street limited time spaces in Oxted. Both practices are close to supermarkets so perhaps you can combine your visit with your weekly shop.