If you have a hot, red, swollen or painful foot with blood, pus or other discharge from an open wound, Please contact the department as soon as possible.
Personal Foot Care
“Personal foot care includes the tasks that adults normally do for themselves such as cutting and filing toenails, smoothing and moisturising skin, looking for signs of infection or other problems which need referral to a podiatrist.”
Scottish Government “personal foot
care guidelines (2013).
If you would like further information please visit:
www.gov.scot/publications/personal-footcare- guidance/pages/9/
What is personal foot care?
“Personal foot care is part of a personal hygiene routine for feet and covers a set of tasks that an adult, whatever their age, would normally do for themselves if they are able to”
Toenail care
Clipping and filing toenails safely and keeping them at a length which feels comfortable
Skin Care
Smoothing and moisturising dry and rough skin.
Keeping feet clean, dry, comfortable and warm.
Checking skin for cracks and breaks in the skin.
Looking for signs of infection or other obvious early problems and seeking
Checking Footwear
Checking footwear for comfort, fit, state of repair and safety
Personal Foot Care
How to carry out personal foot care
Personal foot care is important for everyone and can be carried out by yourself, a family member or carer to reduce pain, discomfort, improve confidence, quality of life and independence.
If you are diabetic and have been classed as low risk at your foot screening, these tips also apply to you, if you have been classed as moderate or high risk please seek professional advice.
Wash your feet often
Wash and thoroughly dry your feet and change your socks
every day.
Use mild soap, and wash between the toes.
But don’t soak them as this may destroy your skins natural oils.
Dry your feet well
Be sure to dry thoroughly, especially between the toes.
Fungal organisms love moisture, so depriving them of any wetness will make it more difficult to develop fungal infections
When drying your feet, take a good look at the skin on the bottom and top to looks for any changes in the skin
or nails.
Filing Skin
Gently remove hard skin and calluses with a pumice stone or foot file when your skin is dry. Don’t overdo it or you could damage fresh skin underneath.
Moisturise
If your skin is dry, apply moisturizing cream all over the foot, except for between the toes on a daily basis or more frequently
if required
Cut Toenails carefully
Trim your toenails regularly using proper nail clippers. Cut straight across and avoid trimming too close to the skin or drastically rounding the corners of the nails, which can cause painful and cause ingrown toenails.
Footwear Advice
Always try your footwear on before buying a new pair, ideally in the afternoon as your feet swell throughout the day.
Ensure your feet have been measured and you are wearing the correct size.
Your footwear should always have laces/ straps/buckles to hold the shoe onto your foot and support you whilst walking, this will prevent any rubbing or friction and stop hard skin forming.
Your shoe should be broad and rounded to accommodate your toes – avoid pointy shoes which can cramp your toes and cause ingrown toenails, callus and corns.
If you have foot deformities, for example “bunions” and “hammer toes”, accommodate these with wide or specialist footwear and avoid purchasing shoes a size bigger - to prevent further corns, callus or blistering.
toebox width
footwear length
narrow
toebox width
inadequate footwear length
Personal foot care kit
These are some of the items that you may like to include in your personal foot care kit.
Nail nippers
Emery boards
Foot file
All these items can be purchased on locally or on-line and you may wish to keep them together in a plastic box or plastic zip bag.
emery board
foot file
nail nippers
The personal foot care web page provides information and some short films about personal foot care. Access this via:
www.knowledge.scot.nhs.uk/home/portals-and- topics/personal-footcare.aspx.
There are a number of websites that provide helpful general information about foot care.
https://www.versusarthritis.org/
www.alzscot.org
http://www.careinfoscotland.co.uk
www.diabetes.org.uk/In_Your_Area/Scotland
www.nhsinform.co.uk
https://rcpod.org.uk/
http://www.feet4lifeuk.com/
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/get_involved/campaigning/putting-feet-first
www.mydiabetesmyway.scot.nhs.uk
www.nhs.uk/conditions/falls/pages/prevention.aspx
https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/preventing-falls/keeping-well/looking-after-your-feet
https://www.ageuk.org.uk/scotland/