Consultation on the National Personal Footcare Draft Guidance
This consultation is seeking views on the national draft personal footcare guidance that has been developed by a multi-agency working group. This is a key action highlighted for implementation in the National Delivery Plan for Allied Health Professionals in Scotland, 2012-2015. The overall aim is to improve the way in which personal footcare for older people is supported and delivered through the implementation of training and good practice guidance.
Section 4: What effective personal footcare should look like
Effective personal footcare should address the individual support and personal footcare needs of Scotland's population. This can be achieved either by supporting individuals and their relatives and carers or through provision of specific service. It should be of a high standard, inclusive of communities and be responsive to the needs of people and their families.
It is recognised that in many cases personal footcare can be undertaken by individuals themselves, family members or by social care providers and care staff.
The provision of education and awareness sessions to individuals and groups can improve confidence and support people to be active in the care of their feet in a safe and effective way.
For those unable to manage their own personal footcare, easy and timely access to support for personal footcare or a specific personal footcare service can address the help they require to maintain their foot health. Feedback from participants who accessed a personal footcare service in England and Wales highlights a high degree of satisfaction and benefits gained.
Picture 1 shows an example of a pathway for the public to access personal footcare acknowledging that the options available in a local area will differ.
Picture 1
Table 1 highlights some key quality elements and poses some questions for local consideration when planning the support needs for personal footcare and/or services.
Table 1
| Quality Element | Considerations for individual support | Considerations for a personal footcare service |
|---|---|---|
| Effective | Do individuals, relatives and carers have the skills to provide personal footcare? | Do service providers have the skills to and competences to provide personal footcare? Is personal footcare carried out to a defined standard? |
| Efficient | Is personal footcare delivered by the most appropriately skilled person? | Is personal footcare delivered by the most appropriately skilled person? Does it make most effective use of public funds? |
| Equitable: | Is there is equitable access to support for personal footcare in local communities across Scotland? | Is there a clear pathway to access a personal footcare service, with guidance available across health and social care? Do service providers take account of the position of people on low incomes and their ability to pay in any charges applied? |
| Person Centred | Does the personal footcare support provided meet the needs of individuals and support enablement where possible? Do people have a choice in accessing support for personal footcare? Are people with personal footcare needs involved in developing/reviewing the support provided? |
Does the personal footcare service meet the needs of individuals? Are there regular service reviews and satisfaction surveys? Are people with personal footcare needs involved in developing/reviewing services? |
| Safe | Is personal footcare delivered in a safe environment? Are there clear pathways and guidance on when and how people can access podiatry services if this is required? |
What are the governance arrangements? Are there clear pathways and guidance on referral to podiatry services? Are personnel screened through the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme? |
| Timely | Is support for personal footcare available when it is required by individuals? | Are personal footcare services available at a time that meets the needs of service users? |
Contact
Email: Jenny Ackland
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