Infection prevention and control (IPAC)

Preventing infection

We can all do our part in preventing infection.

Organisms are not fussy about who spreads them, so we all need to be careful. The majority of infections are spread by the hands. There are many ways we can help prevent the spread of infections:

Cleaning your hands when you enter or leave a clinical area. There are hand sanitisers, bottles of alcohol hand gels and foams available for you to use.

Washing your hands with water and soap after using the toilet.

Covering your nose and mouth before coughing or sneezing. Dispose of the tissues in a waste bin.

Try to maintain a safe distance from other people while inside the building. These recommended safe distance is 1 meter.

It is important that you inform the team or service if you:

• can not attend the appointment
• are suffering with symptoms like diarrhoea and vomiting
• feel unwell

Infection prevention and control (IPAC) team

Our infection prevention and control (IPAC) team provides support and advice. The team helps our communities to stay safe by:

• providing IPAC training
• participating in hand hygiene audits
• completing environmental audits
• minimising sharps injuries
• maintaining robust routines for the decontamination, cleaning and surveillance of medical equipment
• adhering to local and national guidance policy

Infection, prevention and control (IPAC) guidelines

The national IPAC manual (NIPCM) is an evidence based practice manual. The NIPCM ensures a UK-wide approach to infection and control. Some operational and organisational may change between NHS Trusts.

NHS settings and settings that deliver NHS services can use the guidance. The principles of the NIPCM are applicable in all care settings.

CCS uses the NIPCM as our main source for IPAC specific guidelines. Most NHS organisations use the NIPCM to help and support healthcare providers. It also shows compliance with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

IPAC link champions

IPAC link champions are staff members who embed and promote IPAC best practices. These include the World Health Organisation's (WHO) 5 moments of hand hygiene. Our IPAC link champions support improvements to service user care and safety.

Hand hygiene

Hand hygiene is one of the most important ways to reduce the transmission of healthcare associated infections. 

All our clinical staff complete a mandatory hand hygiene assessment. The assessment uses a special lotion and ultraviolet light. These are for reviewing the technique used to decontaminate their hands. The assessment will also look at skin integrity and staff knowledge.

The trust will receive a monthly report on staff uptake.

Guidance and resources are available on NHS England.

Personal protective equipment (PPE)

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is equipment used to protect our staff. The use of PPE is risk-based to minimise the environmental impact. This also helps us to avoid overuse or inappropriate use of PPE.

Before any procedure, staff will complete a risk assessment. This is to assess the risk of exposure to blood, body fluids, non-intact skin or mucous membranes. Staff will then wear the PPE that protects them against the risks linked with that procedure. 

PPE includes:

• Gloves
• Aprons and gowns
• Eye and face protection
• Fluid resistant surgical face masks

The NIPCM outlines the principles of PPE. It is important that we use PPE correctly to ensure service user and staff safety. Read more about PPE outlined in the NIPCM. 

Clean and safe environment

It is the responsibility of the person in charge to ensure the care environment is safe for practice. This includes environmental cleanliness and maintenance. 

The care environment must be:

• visibly clean, free from non-essential items and equipment to facilitate effective cleaning
• well maintained and in a good state of repair
• routinely cleaned to the 2021 national cleaning standards

The cleaning contractor will assess all areas with the support of the Trust. Our sites are routinely audited to the 2021 cleaning standards. We display the results within the department, where visitors can see. 

Our sites have routine quality checks and planned  maintenance on water and ventilation. Every quarter, the reports are presented to the Trust's water and ventilation safety group. 

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global issue that affects everyone. It is when bacterial, viral and fungal infections develop a resistance to medicines. This means that medicines will not work against the infections.

AMR is threat acknowledged by governments, international agencies, researcher and private companies.

Our pharmacy team's vision is to promote the safe and effective use of medicines for our patients.

We work alongside the integrated care boards (ICBs) to make sure we adhere to:

• British National Formulary (BNF/BNFC)
• Locally agreed antibiotic formularies in the East of England

To ensure compliance with national standards, our prescribing teams undertake quarterly audits. These audit reports are shared with our colleagues.

The Trust is committed to becoming fully compliant with the national plan to reduce AMR.

Read more about confronting antimicrobial resistance 2024 to 2029.

Waste

As a producer of various waste streams, Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust recognises that it has legal and moral duties to ensure that these materials are disposed of safely and in compliance with the appropriate legislation.

We're working towards compliance with the latest health technical memorandum (HTM 07-01: safe and sustainable management of healthcare waste updated March 2023). This explains the environmental benefits of the safe management and disposal of healthcare waste. It also shows opportunities for cost savings, safer working practices and reducing carbon emissions related to the management of waste.

Occupational health

We use 3 occupational health services. They provide a broad range of services to support Trust staff and managers, including:

• telephone and face-to-face consultations with employees referred by their manager
• sickness absence advice
• rehabilitation advice
• redeployment advice
• ill health retirement advice and support
• liaison with employee's clinicians 
• health surveillance, (latex glove use, skin assessment, respiratory assessment, etc) 
• immunisation (MMR, chicken pox, hepatitis B, tetanus, diphtheria, polio, etc)
• risk assessment of individuals (blood borne viruses assessment, driver assessment, maternity advice, needlestick or sharps injuries, night worker health assessment, pre-employment health assessment, etc)