Infection Prevention and control (IP&C) is one of the major areas in the provision of safe care within any health care setting, Effective prevention and control of infection must be part of everyday practice and be applied consistently by everyone CQC.

Latham House Medical Practice is committed to ensuring that it offers an environment which minimises and excludes the risk of infection to its patents, visitors, staff and contractors.

The Infection Control Lead is Angela Stubbs (Nurse Lead & Diabetes Specialist Nurse) who has been with the practice since May 2022.

If you would like any further advice or information in regards to infection control please speak to Angela or the Infection Prevention & Control Team (IPCT)

Click here to read our IP&C statement 23 – 24

CQC

CQC expect all providers of healthcare and adult social care to meet or exceed the expectations outlined in The Health and Social Care Act 2008: Code of Practice on the prevention and control of infections

The CQC  – general requirements, updated 23/12/2022, expect each practice to have: –

• Effective IPC policies – accessible to all and regularly updated
• Policy for high-risk procedures, such as minor surgery
• An IPC lead with overall responsibility for IPC
• IPC audit programme, with evidence of action planning and how these issues were addressed.
• Staff training requirements and frequency of training updates.
• Cleaning contractors- schedule of general cleaning, should include frequency of specific areas, fixtures, and fittings, including high touch points. Policy outlining responsibilities for cleaning of specific clinical equipment
• Access to occupational health services- staff immunisations as outlined in the Green Book , sharps injury policy.

Legionnaire

Legionnaires’ disease is a lung infection you can get from inhaling droplets of water containing bacteria that causes the infection, it’s uncommon but it can be very serious. You can get legionnaires disease from things like air conditioning systems, humidifiers, spa pools and hot tubs, taps and showers that are not used often NHS.UK

The CQC expect GP practices to provide assurance that they have carried out risk assessments to identify all risks associated with their premises and that they are managing these risks. All systems require a risk assessment, but not all systems will require elaborate control measures. Neither CQC nor HSE make any requirements about who carries out the risk assessment other than that they should be competent to carry out the task.

HSE provide information to help employers and those with responsibility for the control of premises, including landlords, understand what their duties are and how to comply with health and safety law. More information can be found here around practical advice on the legal requirements of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 concerning the risk from exposure to legionella and guidance on compliance with the relevant parts of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

Sepsis

Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition, triggered by infection. It can be difficult to spot but kills at least 48,000 people a year in the UK. For many patients, if sepsis is caught early, it can be easy to treat. There are lots of possible Symptoms , that can be like other conditions, such as flu or a chest infection. Anyone with an infection can get sepsis, but there are some groups that are more susceptible, and steps to prevent infection , such as vaccination, personal hygiene, seeking timely medical care of wounds and taking any prescribed antibiotics correctly, are important in the prevention of sepsis.

All patients who have any of the high-risk criteria for sepsis should be transferred to hospital immediately using the 999 response. Practitioners should make it clear at handover to the ambulance service they have high risk criteria for sepsis, in line with NICE guidance, alongside the patient’s physiological measurements to aid early identification and treatment (CQC)

CQC expect GP practices to take measures to help manage the risks associated with sepsis, this includes-

• Sufficient training of staff (including receptionists) to recognise the signs of sepsis and raise concerns, and appropriate training in the response to acutely unwell or deteriorating patients who may have sepsis
• Access to appointments and triage for acutely unwell patients
• Appropriate emergency equipment and medicines accessible for the treatment of patients with possible sepsis, including pulse oximeters for adults and children and staff aware of the Patient Safety Alert for placement of pulse oximeter probes
• Ensuring a high uptake of immunisations, particularly flu vaccines in those in the high-risk categories
• Systems of ‘safety netting’ are in place, including relevant follow -up care
• Use of sepsis assessment and audit tools, consider auditing the management of patients referred to secondary care and records of any SEA and learning events and how improvements to care have been made.
• Effective record keeping and sharing of information around a patient’s condition, including accurate physiological measurements
• Evidence of good Infection Prevention and Control processes
• Availability of Information and advice on sepsis for patients and carers.

Sepsis Useful Resources

The UK Sepsis Trust have professional resources on their website and training resources can be found in the RCGP Sepsis Toolkit .

National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness

According to the CQC (updated 23/12/2022) – National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness 2021 replace the 2007 specifications for NHS cleanliness. This guidance mirrors expectations for GP providers which are already covered by our regulations and the code of practice. For example, IPC audit processes, waste management, cleaning schedules and maintenance of equipment.

There are no expectations that we require star ratings or logos to be displayed in general practices. We will continue to regulate using Regulations 12  and 15 . We will also regulate using the code of practice on prevention and control of infection.

The Health and Social Care Act 2008:code of practice on the prevention and control of infection was updated 13th December 2022, to reflect the structural changes that took effect in the NHS from 1 July 2022 and the role of IPC (including cleanliness) in optimising antimicrobial use and reducing antimicrobial resistance, full document can be found here.