Purpose
To reduce the risk of transmissible infection to people using the service, staff and visitors, and to respond effectively to outbreaks.
Scope
All staff, visitors and contractors in all care settings.
Standard precautions
Hand hygiene at the five moments, bare below the elbow, correct PPE selection, safe handling of sharps, linen and waste.
Cleaning schedules specify frequency, product, contact time and responsible role, with touch points cleaned at least twice daily.
Outbreak management
Two or more linked cases trigger the outbreak plan: notify UKHSA and the local health protection team, restrict movement, cohort where clinically appropriate and review with the GP.
Restrictions are proportionate, time-limited and reviewed daily; visiting is never stopped without a documented, individualised justification.
Training and competency
All staff receive induction training on this policy before working unsupervised, refreshed at least annually or sooner following incident learning or a change in guidance.
Competency is confirmed through observation of practice, supervision discussion and reflective questioning — not attendance records alone.
Training records are maintained centrally and gaps are reviewed monthly against the training matrix.
Governance, monitoring and accountability
The registered manager holds overall accountability for this policy. Day-to-day implementation is delegated to named leads recorded in the service's accountability matrix.
Compliance is monitored through the service audit calendar, with findings reported to the monthly governance review and escalated to the provider board where risk is rated high.
Every audit finding is converted into an entry on the improvement action tracker with a named owner, priority rating, target date and evidence of completion.
Learning is shared with the whole team through team meetings, supervision and reflective practice sessions. Where a theme recurs, the policy itself is reviewed rather than the individual blamed.
- Monthly IPC audit including hand hygiene observation and environmental cleanliness.
- PPE stock levels checked weekly with a minimum four-week buffer.
- Annual water safety and legionella risk assessment.
- Early clinical escalation for deteriorating residents using a recognised deterioration tool.
- Post-outbreak debrief with actions logged on the improvement tracker.
- Isolation is balanced against the harm of loneliness; people isolating receive additional one-to-one contact recorded daily.
- Vaccination information is offered in accessible formats without coercion.
Evidence of compliance
- IPC audits
- Outbreak logs and UKHSA correspondence
- Cleaning schedules
Suggested review cycle: Annually.