Dear Sheila

Can support workers in a residential care home for people with special needs cut toenails? If they need training, where do you look for appropriate training please?

Answered by Sheila Scott

Dear K,

Thank you for your question.

I know that whether or not a care worker should undertake the cutting of service user’s toenails does cause confusion but I believe that the process to be gone through is relatively straightforward.

The service should have a policy on the cutting of toenails and part of the policy should be about a risk assessment for each individual service user and the points to be included in that risk assessment.

If the risk assessment finds that it is safe for a care worker to cut the nails then the Registered Manager must satisfy themselves that the care worker has the necessary competencies. This must all, of course, be properly recorded.

If there are any perceived risks associated with a service user such as diabetes, then the GP should be consulted and most probably a referral would be made to the chiropody service.

It is important that these steps are carried out to protect both the care worker and, more importantly, the service user.

With best wishes.

Sheila