Foot Care in Care Homes (OPINIONS)

July 3, 2026 updated by: King's College London

Optimising Foot Care Interventions for Older Adults Living in Care Homes

The aim of this observational study is to: (1) describe current knowledge and practices related to foot care in care homes; (2) understand how care home staff, residents and/or family caregivers perceive foot care knowledge and practices. For the first study, the investigators are conducting a survey, and this will involve recruiting care staff working in care homes, managers of care homes, and staff in regular contact with care home residents (e.g. clinicians). The second study will involve interviews with care home staff (carers, care home managers and health professionals) and care home residents and/or their family representative.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Detailed Description

Around 430,000 older adults live in care homes in England, and many are living with long-term health conditions like diabetes and heart disease. Foot problems are also very common and affect one in four. Care home staff have an important role in the early detection and prevention of foot problems but have no training in foot care. The aim of this study is to: (1) describe current knowledge and practices related to foot care in care homes; (2) understand how care home staf, residents and/or family caregivers perceive foot care knowledge and practices. This work will help to establish how care staff can be supported to develop new knowledge in foot care. This project will involve two linked studies. For the first study, an England-wide electronic survey will be conducted, and this will involve recruiting care staff working in care homes, managers of care homes, and staff in regular contact with care home residents. The second study will involve interviews with care home staff (carers, care home managers and health professionals) and care home residents and/or family members. Data collection for the first study will involve completion of an online survey. The second study will involve interviews, which will be conducted online and/or in the care home. The study will last for 18 months. For the survey, care home staff will participate via an electronic device (such on a laptop or smartphone). The interview study will involve one-to-one interviews, and these will be conducted in person, or online.

The study is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) [Programme Development Grant (NIHR502941)]. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
200

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

England

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Task 1 National Survey

  • Care staff working in residential care home settings. Care staff will have responsibility for the personal care of residents (aged 65+ years) within the care home setting. This includes agency staff with at least 6-months experience working in care homes.
  • Staff working in the residential care home sector (e.g. care home managers) and in regular contact with care home residents (e.g. nursing staff) will also be eligible to participate.
  • Care homes will be providing 24/7 in-person support, and this is inclusive of residential care home, nursing care homes, specialist dementia care or nursing home, dual-registered care homes and extra care housing (assisted living or very sheltered housing).
  • All geographical regions in England inclusive of multi-ethnic, urban, and rural populations.
  • Aged over 18 years of age.

Task 2 Qualitative interviews

  • Care home staff (including carers, care home managers and nursing staff) currently working in the care home environment and with at least 6-months' experience of working in this environment, with experience of providing personal care. This includes agency staff.
  • Care home residents with experience of foot care needs.
  • Family/friends of residents who are involved in their care planning/provision.
  • Family caregivers will include spousal, sibling, and parent/child relations.
  • All participants must have capacity to give informed consent.
  • All participants must be able to take part in an interview in English.
  • Aged over 18 years of age.
  • Where a virtual interview is requested, access to the appropriate technology.

Exclusion Criteria:

Task 1 National Survey

  • Residents living within care home and/or their family members.
  • Care staff working in non-care home sector(s) e.g. domiciliary care.
  • Staff in non- care roles (e.g. catering or maintenance)

Task 2 Qualitative interviews

  • Care staff working in non-care home sector(s) e.g. domiciliary care.
  • Staff in non- care roles (e.g. catering or maintenance)
  • Those determined not to have mental capacity to consent to participation, in line with the Mental Capacity Act.
  • Care home residents with communication impairments which would preclude participation in the interview even with reasonable adjustments.
  • Unable to take part in an interview in English language.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Self-reported foot care knowledge and practices of care home staff working with older adults living in care homes.
Time Frame: At the point of entry on the study
Foot care practices will be mapped against dimensions of the COM-B model of behaviour change, defining capabilities, opportunities and motivations for change.
At the point of entry on the study

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
King's College London

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
University of Leeds
Queen Mary University of London
University of Dundee
University of Brighton
University of Sussex

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
February 26, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
August 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 29, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 3, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
July 7, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
July 7, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 3, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 358366
  • NIHR502941 (Other Identifier: National Institute for Health and Care Research)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings