Cost of living pressures - what podiatrists are saying

As fuel prices and cost of living pressures continue to rise, the Australian Podiatry Association (APodA) invited podiatrists to complete a survey on how this is affecting your work, your business and your patients. You can continue to share your survey responses here to build this growing dataset, which is updated regularly for the profession.

We put out this survey to open the conversation properly, start to build the data, and understand what’s really happening before getting ahead of ourselves.

What you’ve told us so far

At the time of writing, the results are based on 116 responses and subject to change as more responses are submitted.

While experiences vary, some clear themes are already coming through at the time of writing.

All figures are correct as of early May 2026, and subject to change.

At a high level:

• Cost pressures remain significant and are affecting both patient affordability and the cost of running a practice day-to-day.
• Many podiatrists are actively adapting how they work rather than holding steady. These measures include adjusting fees and, in some cases, adding travel or fuel surcharges. Podiatrists are also being firmer about cancellations and offering payment plans for higher‑cost items.
• Some practices feel stable for now (around one-third). Whereas a combined 70% are uncertain or already making more substantial changes in response to tighter economic conditions.
• There is no single shared experience, and no single solution.

When you zoom in on what is happening in practice, podiatrists are telling us that:

• More patients are delaying, cancelling or spacing out appointments because of cost.
• Travel costs, particularly fuel, are affecting patient attendance as well as staff travel and rostering.
• Spending on orthoses, footwear and other non‑urgent items is declining.
• Practice costs continue to rise across consumables, insurance, fuel, freight and administration.
• Some practices are downsizing, relocating or reconsidering parts of their service delivery rather than taking on more debt.
• Recruitment and retention are becoming harder, especially in regional or high‑cost areas.
• There is growing concern that funding and pricing models, including Support at Home, do not reflect the real cost of delivering care.
• Questions about long‑term viability, succession and retirement are coming up more often.

The comments behind these themes are often blunt, and understandably so. There is a strong sense of fatigue in the responses, alongside care for patients who are also under financial pressure.

How you’re adapting right now

You’ve also been very clear about what you’re doing to keep going, with these adaptations being updated regularly. Some current insights include (as of early May 2026):

• Reducing consumable use and rethinking service delivery, including limiting home visits or trialling telehealth.
• Questions about retirement, succession and long‑term viability are surfacing more often.
• There is growing concern that current funding and pricing models (including Support at Home) do not reflect the real cost of care delivery.

This is not a list of recommendations. It’s a reflection of what podiatrists are already doing, shared with the profession to identify useful patterns beyond your own practice.

A practical example being raised

One issue that keeps coming up is whether to charge for fuel or travel, rather than quietly absorbing those costs.

Government bodies often look at what allied health care professionals are currently and historically charging when they set or review fee structures. If rising costs such as fuel are consistently absorbed by clinicians, the true cost of delivering services is not visible when those decisions are being made.

Covering these gaps yourself may feel like the least disruptive option in the short term. But over time, it may not serve the profession well if pricing decisions are being made using incomplete signals.

This is not about telling you what to charge. It’s about surfacing the broader implications, so these decisions don’t sit entirely on your shoulders.

What you’ve asked for

The survey responses make it clear that this isn’t just about cost pressures. You’ve been specific about what would actually help right now.

As of early May 2026, common themes include:

• Reduced administrative burden and clearer processes with NDIS, Support at Home and other third party providers.
• Practical business guidance around fee setting, cost calculation, contracts, AI and telehealth.
• Funding and rebates that better reflect the real cost of care.
• Support with recruitment, retention and succession, particularly in regional areas. These articles may be helpful in the interim: A podiatrist’s long term take on rural recruitment (30 minute audio interview) and a workforce snapshot opinion piece.
• Opportunities to stay connected with peers and reduce professional isolation. Bear in mind APodA’s upcoming Live and Local events across Australia, online communities and Facebook groups.
• Clear advocacy and a strong, visible voice for podiatry.  Note that the advocacy pages and news pages are regularly updated as a starting point for more information on what APodA is doing in this space

This kind of feedback is exactly why we collect data like this. On its simplest level, this data set may help to validate that you are not alone in your experiences. Beyond this, it helps us prioritise where to push, what to build, and how to support you in ways that are actually useful.

What happens next

This survey will not result in a new payment, a sudden policy shift or a quick fix to rising costs. That is not realistic, and we won’t pretend otherwise.

What it does do is help to guide future reflections for all of us, and it gives you clearer visibility into what others across the profession are dealing with and how they are responding.

Keep telling us what’s changing for you

If you’ve already shared your experience via this survey, thank you. If things have changed since you last responded, or if something new is emerging for you, we want to hear about it. The insights page will continue to be updated as your responses come in, given that constantly evolving, real-time data picture is invaluable.

Support where it helps

One thing that comes through strongly is the number of hats podiatrists are wearing, particularly if you’re running a business alongside your clinical work.

• Following feedback from members, including concerns raised about fuel costs, fees and sustainability, APodA has upcoming webinars focused on business and practice management – also check out the stack of past webinars on related topics, available to members in the webinar library.
• There are also plenty of resources in the ‘business support’ section of APodA’s website – available to podiatry business owners who are members of the Podiatry in Business Special Interest Group.
• Confidential financial, career and personal counselling is also available to all APodA members 24/7, free of charge.
• As a starting point, perhaps check out the online Lunch & Learn session* on how to maximise the value of your practice for a future sale. These webinars are intended to support you in practical areas like pricing, planning and managing rising costs, not to add another obligation.

*Free for student members and Podiatry in Business SIG members / $10 for APodA members / $50 for non-members