You saw a podiatrist who turned out to be unregistered — can you make a claim?
This article explains what the law requires of anyone practising as a podiatrist in Australia, what went wrong in cases like this one, and what your options are if you were harmed.
What a registered podiatrist is required to do — and be
In Australia, podiatry is a protected profession. Only a person registered with the Podiatry Board of Australia under the national registration scheme may legally practise as a podiatrist or use that title. Registration requires a recognised qualification, ongoing professional development, and compliance with professional standards. An unregistered person who performs podiatric procedures — nail surgery, wound debridement, treatment of diabetic foot complications — does so without any of those safeguards in place.
An elderly woman with type 2 diabetes attended a clinic advertising podiatry services. The practitioner debrided a wound on her heel and applied dressings over several weeks. The wound deteriorated. When her GP eventually referred her to a hospital, she required surgical intervention. The practitioner had no registration, no clinical training, and no professional indemnity insurance. No one at the clinic had checked.
Where it goes wrong
The practitioner was never qualified — but kept practising anyway
An unregistered practitioner does not hold the clinical knowledge that registration requires. They cannot recognise the warning signs of diabetic foot complications, vascular insufficiency, or infection. They perform procedures — sometimes invasive ones — without the training to do them safely or to know when to stop.
The harm is not always immediate. A wound that looks managed may be worsening beneath the surface. By the time a patient sees a qualified clinician, the damage is done.
The clinic or employer failed to verify registration
A practitioner does not operate in a vacuum. Clinics, aged care facilities, and allied health businesses that engage podiatrists carry their own obligations. Australian law requires health service operators to take reasonable steps to ensure the people they engage are properly qualified and registered.
When a clinic employs or contracts an unregistered person — or fails to check their registration status — and a patient suffers harm as a result, the clinic may bear legal responsibility alongside the individual. That matters, because the clinic is far more likely to have the means to compensate a patient than an individual fraudster.
A residential aged care facility contracted a person to provide weekly podiatry services to residents. The facility never verified registration with the Podiatry Board. Over eighteen months, the practitioner treated dozens of residents, several of whom developed infections following nail procedures. The facility’s failure to check was the gap through which the harm entered.
Vulnerable patients were specifically targeted
Elderly patients, people with diabetes, and those in residential care are the patients most likely to suffer serious harm from substandard podiatric treatment. They are also the patients least likely to question a practitioner’s credentials, least likely to notice early signs of deterioration, and least likely to seek a second opinion quickly.
Targeting or disproportionately treating this cohort is not a mitigating factor. It is an aggravating one — and it shapes the nature and extent of the harm that flows from the fraud.
- You or a family member received podiatry treatment and later discovered the practitioner was not registered with the Podiatry Board of Australia.
- A wound, nail condition, or foot problem worsened after treatment — particularly if you have diabetes or poor circulation.
- You received treatment at a clinic, aged care facility, or mobile service and were never shown or offered evidence of the practitioner’s qualifications.
- You developed an infection, required hospitalisation, or needed further surgery following podiatric procedures.
- A family member in residential care received podiatry services from a visiting practitioner whose registration was never verified by the facility.
The records — the clinic’s appointment logs, the treatment notes, and the Podiatry Board’s public register — will answer the registration question. Memory is not enough, and it does not need to be.
Time limits apply to claims of this kind in every Australian state and territory. Those limits vary, and in some circumstances they can be extended — but waiting without getting advice is a risk.
What happens next
A legal examination of a case like this starts with the records. Who treated you, on what dates, performing what procedures — and whether that person held a current registration at the time. That is a factual question with a factual answer, and it can usually be established quickly.
The goal is an honest answer. If the records show the practitioner was registered and the treatment met an acceptable standard, that is what the review will find. If they show otherwise, you will know what your options are.
Not sure whether the person who treated you was actually qualified?
Dr Rosemary Listing reviews the records and gives you a straight answer. No obligation, no pressure — just clarity.
For more on how Australian law approaches cases of this kind, see Reframe Legal — Medical Negligence.
Dr Rosemary Listing is a lawyer specialising in medical negligence claims, with a PhD in medical negligence. She practises through Peter Evans & Associates, servicing clients across Australia.
Her clinical and legal background allows her to read medical records the way a clinician would — and then apply the law to what she finds. For cases involving unregistered practitioners, that dual perspective matters: the failures that cause harm often sit in the gap between what the clinic’s records show and what the patient was told about who was treating them.
Dr Listing’s work is focused on giving people an honest answer about whether what happened to them was avoidable. Many people wait a long time before looking into it. She understands why — and she does not judge the waiting.
- Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009 (Qld) (as adopted in each state and territory) — registration requirements for podiatrists and offences relating to unregistered practice.
- Podiatry Board of Australia — public register of registered practitioners: www.ahpra.gov.au.
- Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) — notifications and prosecutions data, annual reports 2022–2024.
- Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW); Wrongs Act 1958 (Vic); Civil Liability Act 2003 (Qld); Civil Liability Act 1936 (SA); Civil Liability Act 2002 (WA); Civil Liability Act 2002 (Tas) — applicable standard of care and limitation periods by jurisdiction.
- Aged Care Act 1997 (Cth) — obligations of approved providers in relation to the qualifications of staff and contractors delivering clinical services to residents.
- “Fake podiatrist jailed after hundreds of consultations with vulnerable patients,” HospitalHealth (2024).
- Diabetes Australia — clinical guidelines on diabetic foot care and the risks of substandard podiatric treatment in patients with peripheral neuropathy or vascular disease.
This article contains general legal information only. It does not constitute legal advice, and reading it does not create a lawyer–client relationship. The law applicable to medical negligence claims varies by state and territory in Australia. Each person’s circumstances differ. Time limits apply to legal claims in Australia and vary by jurisdiction. Seek independent legal advice about your specific situation.