Is The NHS Right To say No To Polish?

[tigi]

I do lots of NHS employees nails, last year I lost 16 clients as they are nurses and were told no more enhancements as they were considered unsanitary.........no comment.

I was upset at the time as it was a large chunk of my regulars but, if that is what the NHS is saying then what can i say?

Now this week four of my shellac/gelish ladies who work together performing breast mammograms have all been told no more polish, not even clear.

They are very upset, they wear gloves and can not see what the problem is. Their manager has just said that this is policy from higher up. THey have asked if I have anything in writing that they can take to their manager to fight this decision!

I suppose I wonder what you all think? Is this getting crazy? I feel like the NHS are taking steps too far although I would be the first to admit that I have no medical background and so I dont understand their rationale.

I can see why a theatre nurse or someone in A&E or on a ward might not be allowed. Although they are wearing gloves. I just cant get my head around not allowing ladies who are wearing gloves, who are performing non invasive tests to not be allowed enamel/gelish/shellac etc?

Can anyone shed light on this? DO you think its a world gone mad? I dont know what I think at the moment, except thats four regular clients who come EVERY two weeks all together and now they wont. DO you know I think I actually feel really sad that I wont be seeing them anymore.

DO you agree with the NHS taking this stand?

Do you know of any research that exists to support our industry that I can give my ladies?.

Can anyone shed any llight on this?
Rant over.............

 

[geeg]

good discussion and I feel your frustration! I agree with you that if the Nurse is wearing gloves then where is the problem?

Is it an outdated old notion that polish looks unprofessional .. from the Victorian age or something?

I agree that nail enhancements can be unsanitary (if what I see lurking under some client's nails is anything to go by ) but then it is unsanitary under any natural nail too. There is a element of risk of breaking a nail but wearing gloves that shouldn't pose any real danger. Then there is a question of length etc.

I think it the decision is based on bureaucracy and laziness (rather than rational reasons) as the people who make these rules don't want to get into the hassle of making guidelines of what you can and what you can't wear. such as :
How long is long?
What colours are/are not acceptable?
Is a little nail art OK but allot of nail art not OK? They will see it as, where do you draw the line? So they just issue a blanket rule and say NO to any type of nail decoration including polish.

We all know that given carte blanch, that there are those girls who would push it to the limit and cause problems for everyone else. So the answer in my mind is that for the simple life they say NO.

 

[Klassy Klaws]

It isnt just the NHS a lot of local councils have started the same thing which is so frustrating.
You are speaking about people like dinner ladies and classroom assistance.

I can understand the NHS is certain ways saying no enhancements but the likes of Shellac I don't see how that can be a problem as you have no places to harbour any bacteria or dirt.
To me seeing a nurse etc. with beautifully maintained nails is much better than seeing neglected ones and would make me think they take pride in themselves (not saying someone without doesnt )

 

[VillageNails]

Having been an NHS nurse for many years and now a nail tech - I totally agree - no polish or enhancements should be allowed in clinical settings.
Infection control guidance is that anywhere below the elbow is kept uncovered. eg no watches, shortsleeves, etc (they do allow wedding ring only).
We all know the risk that debris/contaminants can be trapped underneath natural nails /enhancements - and shellac/gelish etc left in place is no different. Particulary if using colour or any masking shade - flaws, splits, breakages will not be easily visible. We all know those clients who have nails virtually hanging off before they come back for maintenance - not good for cleanliness? This is accounting for what we CAN see - what about the bugs not visible to the naked eye?
Also - my concern is that those with nail enhancements, etc would be less likely to adhere to the handwashing guidance needed to help prevent the primary cause of hospital acquired infection - poor hand hygeine!

 

[mizzy_dizzy]

Also - my concern is that those with nail enhancements, etc would be less likely to adhere to the handwashing guidance needed to help prevent the primary cause of hospital acquired infection - poor hand hygeine!

I don't understand why you would think they would be less likely to wash there hands?
If anything someone who regularly up keeps there nails be it enhancements or regular manicures IMO are probably more likely to be aware of issues ,abrasions , dirt home care etc ...

I would rather have treatment from someone with nicely manicured Hands & Nails than some one who has UN keeped nails, bitten , uneven , long and uneven, hangnails, yellow from smoking, wrough dehydrated from sanitizer ect

 

[tigi]

Villagenails

I respect your opinion of course, I can see why this stance could be taken for a nurse or someone on a ward, but I feel its a heavy handed approach to take on someone who performs mammograms for a living.......... they wear gloves, they are not performing surgery or are involved in any surgical procedures , so why the need?

I think gigi has it in a nutshell, the rules are designed to be blanket policy. It does not take into account people who are not involved in being on the wards etc. Its laziness. They could consult us? (well, not me, I am not an expert) There are experts out there.


I dont think that people who wear enhancements have poorer hand hygiene either. I see just as much gunk under a natural nail on some people. I think its down to the persons education on hand washing.

It does rile me a little that I get emails asking me to provide NHS discounts to their employees, and yet they are actively removing business from me............

tigi

 

[SmileNails]

Its a toughie.... i agree that i would rather see someone with perfectly manicured hands.
But no matter if you are manicured or not then it wont affect your hand hygiene - that comes as standard and HAS to be done!!!

I used to work in a nursery, 1st as a cleaner then working in the classrooms and i had to remove my enhancements. I hated the idea of being without my beloved nails but i will admit it made my work a whole lot easier - no playdough harbouring germs under the nail.
And could see the point of no polish as when preparing food etc it could chip and fall into food - nobody wants bright pink flakes in their macaroni!!! :lol:

But with new found treatments like shellac etc i cant see the problem - as its durable and chip free. (Im not trained so cant comment fully but just from what iv read about it on here - but its on my list of to do's, what an awesome treatment!!)

When gloves are worn i cant see the problem with any polish or enhancements tho..... i think this is going to be one of those never ending discussions!!

Do i agree the world has gone mad tho ...... DEFINATELY!! I worry what im bringing my kids up into!!!xx

 

[HannahCoral]

My mum is a nurse and this drives her mad, she isn't allowed to have her free edge showing at all if you are looking at the hand turned over! She has short fingers and nails anyway so it makes her hands look extra stubby! She would agree that the rules go too far, just to have a very short free edge would make her so happy and she does mention this issue a lot!!

 

[nailzoo]

To be honest I would prefer to see nurses and medical staff to have very little free edge and no polish.

Over my many years I have seen disgusting things lurking under nails after removing nail polish.

I am also of the belief that once a client gets nails done they don't have to care anymore, as we (the technician) do everything that is needed.

I have enough trouble getting clients to use cuticle oil, let alone a scrubbing brush.

Some people are just lazy ...... and I don't want my nurse to be lazy.

 

[VillageNails]

I don't understand why you would think they would be less likely to wash there hands?
If anything someone who regularly up keeps there nails be it enhancements or regular manicures IMO are probably more likely to be aware of issues ,abrasions , dirt home care etc ...

I would rather have treatment from someone with nicely manicured Hands & Nails than some one who has UN keeped nails, bitten , uneven , long and uneven, hangnails, yellow from smoking, wrough dehydrated from sanitizer ect

Just concerned if 'oh, got a loose nail - can't get an appt. til friday - need to be careful with my nails' type approach. I agree with the 'well-kept' approach but covering of any kind should be a big NO IMO

Shellac etc DO sometimes chip, lift at the FE (for many reasons we all know of) - this is an additional area to harbour bugs.
Gloves are not used for all patient contact - so do not provide a definitive solution.

 

[geeg]

Thinking about it a little more since I first got up this morning , I do think it would look odd and somehow inappropriate for nurses to be wearing long or short painted fingernails in the clinical arena ...I was remembering I once had to have some stitches over my eye here in Spain and they did it under a local anesthetic so I could kind of watch, and the nurse was wearing full-on eye make up; bright shadow, thick mascara and foundation and eye liner which I could see above her mask and I did think it looked very odd in the operating theatre setting!! It just didn't seem clinical or RIGHT somehow. Also longish nails tend to poke holes in gloves (they do mine if I have to wear them and I do hate wearing them).

Guess we'll just have to sweet talk these nurses into regular manicures and with all that stuff they have to use to clean their hands, a nice hot oil soak or parafin dip along with a SpaManicure every couple of weeks would do them the world of good. No business lost there. And all that time on their feet? Shellac Pedicures!!

 

[tigi]

Yes I do agree nurses in a ward or theatre, I can see why. But I still cant get my head round why people performing a mammogram who wear gloves should need to go without....

Like you say Gigi, it really probably is down to a blanket ban, but it seems crazy. I have had mammograms myself and the last thing on my mind was the mammographer... just the results!

 

[geeg]

Yes I do agree nurses in a ward or theatre, I can see why. But I still cant get my head round why people performing a mammogram who wear gloves should need to go without....

Like you say Gigi, it really probably is down to a blanket ban, but it seems crazy. I have had mammograms myself and the last thing on my mind was the mammographer... just the results!

I hear you, but can you imagine it if they let some and not others?? .... good lord there'd be strikes and screams of discrimination all over the place. What you do for one, you have to do for all as part of a work force. No room for individuality today, love.

 

[skymark]

Have to agree with VillageNails somewhat. Nail enhancements do provide a very easy area to transport bacteria underneath the free edge that isnt always possible to get rid of with washing, with the best of trying. Remember that the hospitals are still trying to regain some reputation after outbreaks of the likes of MRSA and such.

It is also true that a nurse or a doctor does not always wear a pair of gloves when having skin contact with a patient. They do wash hands between each patient but this does not stop the possible passing on of nasties hiding under a nail enhancement. Remember in a hospital setting staff are dealing with hugely immuno supressed people suffering such asend stage AIDS and cancers.

Tho its annoying for staff or nurses who dont work with vulnerable patients that cant wear nails, its also a ridiculous to expect the NHS to spend time and money working out who can and cant be allowed to wear what, depending on their job description. The efficient way to do it is to ban it across the board. Personally I dont want them wasting time on things like that.

As far as polish and the like goes, the NHS are not the only people to ban. There is also a problem with the LOOK of it. We're used to seeing manicured nails at the very start of their journey and imagine that everyone wearing polish has fully painted nails. For every person who has nice painted nails there is one who is sporting patches of 6 week old polish that is covering less than half the nail and looks horribly untidy. Again there is no time to police nail enamel coverage and the look of it given the huge amount of employees so they ban it.

I understand your frustration Tigi as it is taking away your clients and for your clients as they are having to give something up, but I do understand such a large organisation taking decisions en masse to make changes and save time.

 

[tigi]

these are all really excellent comments, keep them coming!

 

[jacqueline]

I do understand it, but can sympathize as I had beautiful gel enhancements just before I started in the beauty industry after a career where I couldn't have anything on my nails, length or colour but it was regulation and nowt we could do.

The first day when I went to University to do my massage training I obviously had to have them removed and it broke my heart, we weren't even allowed to wear coloured polish and this is something I have stuck with as a therapist myself and for my other therapists but my nail techs can have what they want. Client wise I have seen people you wouldn't expect like a police woman with long painted talons and other jobs where you would think it was a no no.

To be frank my own nails weren't in great shape underneath and took a while to recover so I opted for manicures instead, although my tech did comment at first as $13 wasn't the $40 odd she was used to for the enhancements but I haven't had any enhancements since but I still secretly miss them.

With a little help along the way from Nail Envy I now have strong short nails which see a lick of polish every now and again when I am not working and I go crazy with my pedicures instead so that's what I would suggest try to market other services and definitely manicures with a clear polish perhaps.

 

[mum]

Skymark, I agree with you. I do believe there should be an absolute unarguable rule for all. Otherwise the various jobs would need their own set of rules.

I heard a talk by Doug Schoon describing what can be found under nails. EEEK! It convinced me that scrubbing nails is essential!! All health care people have to wash their hands efficiently even when wearing gloves and I don't see how this is possible with enhancements and effective washing will destroy polish eventually.

I don't think the absolute rule is lazy I just think having different rules would be wide open for problems that should not have to be dealt with when there are so many more important issues (like patient care)

 

[persianista]

I gather there are a number reasons why there is a no polish rule.
1. Some people are allergic or sensitive to the chemicals in polish.
2. Polish can chip/flake. Wouldn't fancy that in a wound.
3. Long nails can harbour bacteria, plus they can scratch when performing delicate or intimate procedures (like bum wiping)
4. If you allow one member of staff to do something, the other few hundred thousand would scream "it's not fair". They have rules. If you want long nails and nail colour, then don't work in the NHS. Simples.

 

[deanosnana]

Tigi, excellent thread!

Nurses in my area are not allowed enhancements of any kind.

Just because one can't have polish/enhancements doesn't mean one can't still be your client. My thoughts for retaining these clients: A special Nurse mani. Do a very pampering mani, keep nails short and a buff of the nails. Maybe do a pedi/mani package. I believe most nurse's spend a great deal of their time on their feet. How 'bout a nice pampering pedi with wild & crazy toes. Add a pampering mani and who could resist?

I feel every profession can be catered to, somehow.

Best of luck to you!

 

[Annemarie]

Having been an NHS nurse for many years and now a nail tech - I totally agree - no polish or enhancements should be allowed in clinical settings.
Infection control guidance is that anywhere below the elbow is kept uncovered. eg no watches, shortsleeves, etc (they do allow wedding ring only).
We all know the risk that debris/contaminants can be trapped underneath natural nails /enhancements - and shellac/gelish etc left in place is no different. Particulary if using colour or any masking shade - flaws, splits, breakages will not be easily visible. We all know those clients who have nails virtually hanging off before they come back for maintenance - not good for cleanliness? This is accounting for what we CAN see - what about the bugs not visible to the naked eye?
Also - my concern is that those with nail enhancements, etc would be less likely to adhere to the handwashing guidance needed to help prevent the primary cause of hospital acquired infection - poor hand hygeine!

Why wedding band only? Couldn't that harbor some bacteria also?