Infection Prevention and Control is the work an organisation does to identify potential risks for spread of infection between patients (and between patients and staff) and to take measures to reduce that risk. The Practice takes its responsibility to do this very seriously.

All staff take responsibility for their own role in this and all staff receive regular training in their role in Infection Prevention and Control.

Infection Control Policy

Document Control

A.         Confidentiality Notice

This document and the information contained therein is the property of CANVEY VILLAGE SURGERY.

This document contains information that is privileged, confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure. It must not be used by, or its contents reproduced or otherwise copied or disclosed without the prior consent in writing from CANVEY VILLAGE SURGERY.

B.         Document Details

Classification:
Author and Role:
Organisation:	CANVEY VILLAGE SURGERY
Document Reference:
Current Version Number:
Current Document Approved By:	Dr Richard
Date Approved:	20/03/2022

Introduction

Good hygiene procedures and effective infection prevention and control are of paramount importance in protecting the health of people who use our services as well as upholding the reputation of primary care providers and, ultimately, our Practice.

The Health and Social Care Act 2008 Code of Practice for Health and Adult Social Care on the Prevention and Control of Infections and Related Guidance sets out the key activities that should be undertaken by all NHS organisations with respect to good practice.

CANVEY VILLAGE SURGERY understands that the processes of good infection control must be of a consistently high standard, and therefore require regular review, reflection and assessment to ensure they are both comprehensive and fit-for-purpose.

These processes are at the heart of all clinical and management activity within the Practice, with great consideration given to the environment in which the Practice operates and the range of services provided.

The Practice works in conjunction with Castlepoint and Rochford CCG and our local Health Protection Unit (HPU) UKHSA East of England Health Protection Team Contact Details Suite 1 First FloorNexus,HarlowInnovationPark,LondonRoad,Harlow,CM17 9LX under the umbrella of the Health Protection Agency (HPA) to ensure effective communication and co-ordination of systems and processes to ensure that where infection can occur, there are policies, protocols and systems in-place to support prevention and control transmission.

Aims and Objectives

The aim of this policy is to detail the suite of individual infection control policies and protocols which form the basis of the Practice’s operations with regard to the prevention and control of infection when providing services to its patients.

The policy also identifies those with responsibility for maintaining standards of infection control at the Practice, and for liaising with external bodies (including the CCG, HPA and the wider community).

Additionally, this policy sets-out a timetable and required content for staff training, which includes regular review and updates.

Infection Control Team

The Practice’s Infection Control Team has ultimate responsibility for ensuring that excellent infection control policies, protocols and systems are in-place, and that all staff understand their content and are properly trained to follow the rules and guidelines they establish.

However, each member of staff at the Practice has their own part to play in ensuring they rigorously follow the correct processes without supervision (see Duties and Responsibilities of all Staff, below).

The Practice Infection Control Team and colleagues comprises:

• Gaynor Thompson Infection Control Lead’s
• UKHSA East of England Health Protection Team Contact Details Suite 1 First Floor Nexus, Harlow Innovation Park, London Road, Harlow, CM17 9LX

 

Duties and Responsibilities of all Staff

The Practice employs standard operational precautions which underpin safe practice, protecting both staff and patients from infection.

Staff members at CANVEY VILLAGE SURGERY are aware that it is their own personal responsibility to apply standard precautions at all times and to all patients.

By using established policies, procedures and systems, and taking responsibility for their own actions, staff members at the Practice aim to consistently achieve the following:

• Optimum hand hygiene;
• Use PPE correctly and effectively;
• Handle and dispose of sharps safely;
• Handle and dispose of clinical waste safely;
• Manage blood and bodily fluids safely;
• Decontaminate equipment thoroughly;
• Create and maintain a clean clinical environment;
• Use indwelling devices appropriately;
• Prevent and manage accidents effectively;
• Provide good, clear communication with other healthcare workers, patients, visitors and external bodies;
• A high standard of training and education.

 

The following general precautions will apply:

• A daily, weekly, monthly and 6 monthly cleaning specification will apply and will be followed by the cleaning staff.
• Infection Control training will take place for all staff on an annual basis and will include training on hand decontamination, hand washing procedures, sterilisation procedures the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and the safe used and disposal of sharps
• Infection Control Training will take place for all new recruits within 4 weeks of start.
• Hand washing posters will be displayed at each designated hand basin.
• The practice will ensure that all staff have access to sufficient and appropriate supplies of materials for hand decontamination, PPE and sharps containers.
• A random and unannounced Inspection Control Inspection by the Gaynor Thompson (Using the Infection Control Inspection Checklist) should take place on at least a bi-monthly basis and the findings will be reported to the partners’ meeting for (any) remedial action.
• The Practice will also seek to educate patients and carers regarding effective hand decontamination and hand washing techniques.
• Staff involved in clinical tasks will always be `bare below the elbow`.  NICE guidance advises that bare below the elbow should mean;
  • not wearing false nails or nail polish
  • not wearing a wrist-watch or stoned rings
  • wearing short-sleeved garments or being able to roll or push up sleeves.

            The practice-provided uniform for clinical staff will always be short-sleeved.

Coronavirus Update 2020

Public Health England have reviewed the UK’s infection control recommendations for COVID-19. Having assessed the available evidence and feedback received, they have updated sections to improve the guidance and made recommendations that will help prevent the spread of infection. The main changes to the guidance are:

• to clearly explain the PPE required for different common clinical scenarios, 3 new tables have been added – one for hospitals, one for primary care, outpatient and community and social care, and one for ambulance, paramedics and pharmacy staff
• an additional, fourth table describes when to use PPE for all patient encounters (not just patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19) at a time when there is sustained community transmission of COVID-19, as is currently occurring in the UK, and the likelihood of any patient having coronavirus infection is raised
• the guidance explains that in some circumstances PPE can be worn for an entire session (such as a ward round) and does not need to be changed between each patient
• patient contact is now defined as being within 2 metres (rather than within 1 metre) of a patient, which is more precautionary and is consistent with the distancing recommendations used elsewhere
• hand-washing advice has been updated to include washing of forearms, when forearms have been exposed or may have been exposed to respiratory droplets or other body fluids
• FFP2 and N95 respirators may be used for some aerosol-generating procedures if FFP3 respirators are not available. FFP3 respirators offer a slightly higher level of protection than FFP2 respirators
• advice on re-usable PPE components, including the need to refer to manufacturer’s guidance on decontamination
• recommendations about the use of facemasks by patients
• general formatting improvements to make it easier to access different sections of the guidance recommendation on the use of disposable fluid repellent coveralls as an alternative to long sleeved fluid repellent gowns for aerosol generating procedures or when working in higher risk acute areas. Staff need to be trained in the safe removal of coveralls [10 April 2020]
• recommendations from Environmental sub-group of SAGE, supported by the Healthcare Onset Covid19 Infection (HOCI) Working Group [18 May 2020] on:
  • more frequent cleaning of environmental surfaces, personal and communal electronic devices;
  • improved social distancing by health care workers (HCWs) in the healthcare setting;
  • use of paper towels to dry hands in all clinical areas;
  • local consideration to any enhancements that could be made to improve ventilation in healthcare premises

New PPE recommendations have been implemented, the PHE recommendations can be found here;

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/886370/COVID-19_Infection_prevention_and_control_guidance_Appendix_2.pdf

 

Infection Control Policies / Protocols

CANVEY VILLAGE SURGERY has created the following policies / protocols and uses them as a foundation for excellent infection control and prevention within the Practice environment and the wider community:

• Access to Occupational Health Protocol;
• Cleaning Plan;
• Clinical Waste Protocol;
• Contagious Illness Policy;
• Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Policy & Risk Assessments;
• Decontamination of Re-usable Instruments Policy;
• Decontamination Training Policy and Register;
• Disposable (Single Use) Instrument Policy;
• Hand Hygiene Policy and Audit;
• Hepatitis B Policy;
• Infection Control Biological Substances Incident Protocol;
• Infection Control Inspection Checklist;
• Infection Control Policy;
• Laundering of Linen, other Fabric Materials and Uniforms Policy;
• Local Laboratory Accreditation Statement – Outcome 8 – Criterion 8;
• Needlestick Injuries Policy;
• Patient Isolation Protocol;
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Policy;
• Specimen Handling Protocol;
• Staff Screening and Immunisation Policy;

Training

The Practice has a policy of conducting a thorough programme of training on infection control as part of the staff induction process. This is led by the Practice Infection Control Team in association with other, carefully chosen, external bodies, including: ***Insert External Training Bodies***.

Training will cover the content of the Practice’s infection control policies and protocols (see previous section).

Refresher training will be conducted annually, or more frequently – subject to the emergence of new thinking or legislation.

 

Review

This infection control policy and all other infection control-related policies and protocols will be reviewed at least once annually, or in-line with new thinking or legislation changes. Where necessary, advice will be sought from the CCG and HPA during the review process to ensure that policies, protocols and systems are as up-to-date and