Personal Footcare Guidance

6: Implementation of the Personal Footcare Guidance

In December 2012 all NHS boards completed a benchmark exercise that highlighted their progress against the action points in the National Delivery Plan for Allied Health Professions (AHPs).^[13] One of the action points NHS boards are required to report on in 2013 is the implementation of the personal footcare guidance.

The monitoring schedule associated with the implementation of this guidance will be carried out on an annual basis commencing in late Autumn 2013. This will be undertaken by the Scottish Government in liaison with NHS boards as part of the AHP National Delivery Plan reporting arrangements.

All NHS boards are asked to progress this work in partnership with health and social care colleagues and third and independent sector agencies. This is with a view to actively consider the principles detailed within the personal footcare guidance and identify the need and possible solutions that could address the requirements for personal footcare within their local populations.

What principles should be considered when implementing the personal footcare guidance?

• Access to online educational resources should be available locally to individuals, carers and their families to support self care and enablement where this is possible. Make sure written information is available locally in a variety of formats.
• Access to educational materials and support in line with the specified learning outcomes should be made available locally for care providers.
• Care staff in all sectors offering personal footcare as a specific service must be screened through the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme.
• Establishment of clear pathways to make sure that individuals who require specialist intervention have access to podiatry services.
• Personal footcare instruments such as nail clippers and files used for personal footcare should be the persons own property, single use disposable items or subject to decontamination procedures that meet the directive for decontamination of reusable medical devices.^[17]
• Personal footcare provision within local areas should be subject to regular service reviews and include mechanisms for service user involvement and feedback.
• Where possible, involve people with a personal footcare need and their families and carers in the design and review of personal footcare arrangements in local areas.

Equality Impact Assessment

A range of options for personal footcare should be made available to people to make the correct choice to address their personal footcare needs. It is a requirement that any service model (or combination of service models) selected by NHS Board areas to deliver personal footcare to people will be subject to that NHS Boards Equality Impact Assessment process. Assessment outcomes should clearly evidence steps taken to ensure local service design and delivery removes the risk of disproportionate negative impact or inequitable access for people with legally protected characteristics as defined by the Equality Act 2010.^[18]