Infection Prevention & Control Policy & Procedure

Does a care service need an infection control policy?

Yes. CQC judges providers against the 10 criteria in the code of practice on the prevention and control of infections, and criterion 9 asks for infection control policies that staff follow. Regulation 12 also says a service must assess the risk of infection and prevent, detect and control its spread. Regulation 15 covers clean premises and equipment.

The code is not mandatory, and a provider may meet the regulations in another way that is equivalent or better. It is applied in proportion, too. A service in someone's own home does not need the same facilities as an acute hospital.

How the template fits your service

This infection prevention and control policy and procedure is written for care homes, home care and supported living. In a care home it covers the whole building, including the kitchen, laundry and sluice. In home care it covers equipment the agency supplies, and cleaning a person's home only where the care plan includes it. Supported living staff help tenants keep their own homes clean.

The procedure takes staff through hand hygiene, protective equipment (PPE), cleaning, laundry, waste and sharps, signs of infection, and staff illness and immunisation. It also names an infection prevention and control (IPC) lead, who writes a yearly statement on how the service meets the code. The lead oversees antimicrobial stewardship: careful use of antibiotics and similar medicines, so they keep working.

When an outbreak starts

The template treats 2 or more people with similar symptoms at around the same time as a suspected outbreak. Staff then:

• tell the Registered Manager or senior on call at once

• start the outbreak log, with each person, their symptoms and the date they began

• tell the local health protection team at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) as soon as possible and follow its advice on isolation, visiting, cleaning and staffing

• tell CQC if the outbreak threatens the safe running of the service

• hold a review afterwards and record what was learned

Before you issue it

Delete the service-type lines that do not apply. Add your IPC lead, local health protection contacts and cleaning schedules, then map your arrangements against the 10 criteria of the code.

Cleaning products are hazardous substances, so this policy works alongside the Health & Safety Policy. Record a sharps injury on the Accident & Incident Log. IPC belongs in induction, so add it to the Staff Induction Record & Checklist.