Infection Prevention
Our Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) team are a group of specialist practitioners who advise, support and empower everyone at our hospitals to minimise the risk of healthcare associated infections. An extension of the IPC team is the IPC Champion role within the clinical areas of our hospital.
How can you help?
The basics are the best. Preventing infections is easy when we practise excellent hand hygiene.
All patients and visitors at our hospitals must regularly clean their hands with hand sanitiser or soap and water for 20 seconds. This is especially important directly before you eat. You are encouraged to ask staff, visitors and patients if you think they may not have washed their hands.
We will never ask you to wear gloves and aprons when visiting your friends and relatives. We may however ask you to wear a mask if the person you are visiting has an infection which can be passed onto you in the air. Mask wearing isn’t mandatory, though it is encouraged in this situation. Visiting will not be permitted if you feel unwell, unless in exceptional circumstances (please contact the ward prior to visiting.)
There are two standard methods for hand hygiene:
- Hand sanitiser must be used frequently when hands appear visibly clean.
- Hands must be washed with soap and water if they are visibly dirty, or if you have been in contact with a patient with diarrhoea (or their bed space/room). Look at the soap dispensers for how to clean your hands like a pro.
How are we monitored?
In order to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to provide care, NHS Trusts must take part in an assessment of whether they meet government regulations for managing infection, aimed at ensuring that patients, staff and others are protected against the identifiable risks of acquiring a health care associated infection, so far as is reasonably practicable.
The assessment is an extensive process, asking trusts to declare whether they are compliant with regulations. The CQC then cross-check this declaration with other performance information, including patient and staff surveys, annual CQC Inspection reports, and Trusts' declarations against core standards for Infection. Prevention and Control, such as rates of MRSA and Clostridium difficile infections.
For more information, please click visit the Care Quality Commission website.
Feedback
We welcome patient and family feedback and would encourage you to report what you think we do well, and areas where you think we can improve. You can do this either by speaking directly to a member of staff within your ward or department, or you can contact our Patient Advice and Liaison service (PALS).
Guidance
We are guided by the National infection prevention and control manual for England from NHS England. For more information about how you can contribute to Infection Prevention and Control, please refer to the following documents:
Infection Prevention and Control - Guidelines for patients
Infection Prevention and Control - Guidelines for visitors
MRSA - information for patients, staff and relatives
Clostridium Difficile - Information for patients, staff and relatives
ESBLs- Information for patients, relatives and staff
VRE- Information for patients, staff and relatives
Norovirus- Information for patients, staff and relatives
CPE – information for patients, relatives and staff
You can click on this link to visit the UK Health Security Agency website.
In addition, please click on the following link to visit the Department of Health website.