A podiatrist in Carlisle is moving forward with her private practice after hiring a new member of staff.

Gill Mulvey, 57, who owns and operates Castle Podiatry in the city, is beginning the journey towards private practice after working in the NHS for 30 years.

Having held a variety of positions and specialising in diabetes, her private practice has grown in prominence to herself and her clientele since starting it in 2021.

“I’ve always done private work in the background, it’s very different to NHS work in which I do generally urgent care for people with complex needs, like foot alterations, gangrene, and infections,” she said, adding that her work leading on the diabetic foot team at Cumberland Infirmary led to her receiving a recognition award for developing pathways for diabetic people in 2018.

“Private work is less risky, and I do more routine stuff.

“If I’m honest, private work is more sociable. People choose to come to you and you make a big difference, keeping people comfortable and mobile.”

She started her private practice in a room at a GP surgery, working there for nine years, while still working for the NHS full time.

During Covid the surgery closed several times and she decided to find her own premises.

A student flat was found, refurbished, and Castle Podiatry was developed in full.

“I’m leaving the NHS on March 20 to focus on the clinic, the demand is here because the NHS is moving towards more complex care,” she said, explaining that her services will provide more personal and routine care that may not be urgent or life-threatening, but still necessary for comfort and mobility.

“With the resources we’ve got and the increasing complexity in patients, and more people with diabetes and long-term diseases, we’re going to see those specific things in the NHS; there’s more of a need for private podiatry,” Gill added, linking with the point that NHS dentists were widespread years ago but since NHS dental care moved towards only dealing with acute problems, they’re less available, and private practices are taking on more patients.

This, with a rise in personal well-being and health awareness, is leading more people to seek private healthcare.

Ready to go fully private, she has welcomed Kirsty Godber, currently a specialist podiatrist at the NHS with over 10 years of experience, due to join on April 30, 2024.

Castle Podiatry is now a two-surgery clinic, and will look towards specialist foot interventions, fungal nail treatments, and more, with a goal to hire more staff in the future and the clinic further developed.

To aid this, Gill has applied for Royal College of Podiatry accreditation, which shows high standards of care.