Members have contacted the union with concerns about the direction from Northcott to cut participants’ fingernails. Northcott’s direction does not extend to toenails.
Subsequently, your union has contacted Northcott which advised of the following protocol:
- Nail care instructions A laminated copy of the nail care instructions has been placed inside the doors of both medication cupboards for staff to refer to as needed.
- Customer nail care equipment Each customer has their own nail care kit, containing a nail file, nail clippers and a nail brush. These items are stored in a labelled zip-lock bag in the customer’s medication cupboard.
Please ensure each customer’s kit is returned to the correct cupboard after use.
Under no circumstances is nail care equipment to be shared between customers. Equipment must only be used by the customer it belongs to.
- Regular nail checks and duty of care A designated day for checking customers’ fingernails will be recorded in the diary. However, staff must not wait until the scheduled day if they notice that a customer has dirty, broken or overgrown fingernails.
Northcott, further advised that fingernail care is considered a general activity of daily living:
- Page 75 of Northcott’s Clinical Procedures Manual provides guidance to members supporting participants with nail trimming when the participants wants this support and there are no identified health risks.
- The exception is customers with diabetes. Nail care for these customers should be provided by a podiatrist or another appropriate health professional.
If you have any questions, please contact your union.
Contacts
Member Support Centre
1800 772 679.