Infection Control Awareness Training

Infection control refers to the processes and procedures that are in place to prevent or minimise the spread of infections and is one of the top priorities for healthcare organisations.

It’s vital that everyone understands the huge importance of Infection Control in a healthcare environment. Bacteria and germs can spread at an uncontrollable speed, and ensuring strict infection control procedures is an essential step in protecting the health and wellbeing of patients, visitors and staff. An example of Infection Control is hand washing – that’s why it’s vital that everyone regularly washes their hands and minimises interaction with others if they feel ill. Staff should also wear adequate PPE in the correct manner, such as aprons, masks and gloves.

Our infection Control certificate doesn't expire!

However, it is recommended to retake the course once a year based on industry best practice guidelines. Revisiting the course annually has a few benefits - firstly to refresh the general knowledge of your staff on infection control and legislation, and to ensure relevant procedures remain fresh in the mind. Secondly, retaking the course ensures that your staff possess up-to-date knowledge, as the Infection Control Training Course is regularly updated to reflect new developments. It is just as important as it proves to institutions such as the CQC, HSE or OFSTED that your staff's knowledge is up to date on infection control.

The standard precautions are the minimum infection prevention and control practices that must be used for all patients in all situations. The Infection Control Training standard precautions include: 

1. Hand hygiene - considered the most important infection control measure for reducing the spread of infection.
2. Use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, masks, eyewear and aprons where appropriate.
3. Respiratory & cough hygiene (‘Catch it, Bin it, Kill it’ technique) - Implement measures to limit the transmission of respiratory spread from coughing, sneezing or rhinorrhoea.
4. Safe disposal of waste - Items, like used gloves, aprons, swaps, dressings and other sharp or non-sharp waste contaminated with patient blood or saliva, will need to be disposed of safely in biohazard waste bins.
5. Safe management of body fluid - Blood, vomit or urine pose an infection risk in healthcare settings, such as care homes or hospitals, so the safe and effective management of spillage is essential.
6. Safe management of care equipment - reusable patient care equipment can easily become contaminated if not rigorously sterilised after use. The World Health Organisation (WHO) advises, where possible, that items should be used once and disposed of.
7. Clean and disinfected environmental surfaces - cleaning, disinfection and sterilisation of equipment and surfaces are crucial in healthcare facilities to ensure vulnerable patients aren't at risk of cross-contamination.
8. Safe handling and disposal of linen - a linen deposit should be available to quickly dispose of linen once it's been used.

Although the CQC is responsible for ensuring infection control training is undertaken in the health and social care sector, it’s up to the care organisation to ensure all staff have completed Infection Prevention and Control training to meet the CQC requirements and guidelines. The CQC inspectors go by these questions and prompts to look at how well staff and people living in care homes are protected by infection prevention and control. The 8 questions are:

1. Are all types of visitors prevented from catching and spreading infection?
2. How are people supported to use and access their environment safely?
3. Are people admitted into the service safely?
4. Does the service use PPE effectively to safeguard staff and people using services?
5. Is there adequate access and take up of testing for staff and people using services?
6. Does the layout of premises, use of space and hygiene practice promote safety?
7. Do staff training, practices and deployment show the service can prevent transmission of infection and/or manage outbreaks?
8. Is IPC policy up to date and implemented effectively to prevent and control infection?