Infection Prevention and Control Annual Statement
A requirement for the health and Social Care Act of 2008 Code of Practice, on the prevention and control of infection related guidance, that the Infection and Prevention Control Team produce an annual statement regarding compliance of good practice on the Infection prevention and control and make the statement available for anyone who may wish to read it, including any patients, or regulatory bodies.
As is best practice, this statement is published here on the practice website
The annual statement should cover
- Known infection transmission events and action is taken regarding the situation, and actions taken.
- Any audits undertaken and action taken as a results of those audits
- Risk assessments undertaken for prevention and control of infection
- Training received by staff
- Review and updating of polices and guidance.
The Practice is committed to the control of infection within the building and surrounding area to make it as safe as possible for those visiting.
The practice will monitor the premises, equipment, drugs and procedures to the standards within the Infection Prevention Control policy and guidelines. The practice will provide facilities and where possible the financial resources to ensure that reasonable steps are taken to reduce or remove the risk of infection.
Where possible and practical the practice will seek to use disposable / one use equipment and washable or disposable materials for them, such as soft furnishings, seating materials, wall covering, couch rolls, modesty sheets, cubicle curtains, floor coverings and where necessary laundered, cleaned or changed frequently to minimise risk of infection
Risk Assessment
Office Safety Standard - Decluttered.
Mopheads, new and drying stored together and the wrong way up. Used mops to be disposed of once finished with and mops to be stored with mopheads to top.
Front desk - Manned at tall times, to comply with sample collection and advice to patients
Dunster and Porlock surgeries have had many changes in staff over the last eighteen months, including change of Practice Manager.
HGT attends a monthly Lead Nurse and Infection Prevention and Control meeting, with other practice nurse for the PCT. Paula messenger the Training Lead and is also attended by Julia Bloomfield, lead IPC for the Trust. She is available to be contacted at any time for advice, or meeting within the practice. The meetings will be bimonthly as from March 2023.
Annual audit has been done in 2022 and has not been updated for Sept 2023 yet, as ongoing changes are being made. Most current audit was carried out by SM and KB the Practice manager.
Significant events are discussed at clinical meetings and full staff meetings if appropriate, any learning from such events can be discussed by the team and cascaded to other staff as necessary where relevant. There have been no such significance events that relate to IPC in the past 12 months.
Changes that have been made as result of previous audit:
Desktops have been decluttered and staff reminded to keep the desks free of clutter, papers and related equipment. All works stations are left tidy and wiped down before after each shift.
Childrens toys have been removed from the waiting room.
Glove dispensers have been put in each room. Clinical wipe holders have been put in clinical rooms.
Sanitary and hygiene items have been put in the staff toilets along with sanitary bins.
Flip top bins are in all clinical rooms and wall mounted soap dispensers have replaced free standing soap dispenser in clinical rooms.
Cleaning schedule for cleaning/restocking are signed each day at the end of clinics. Restocking of Drs rooms by nursing team.
Hand dryer in patient toilets.
Cleaning daily by outside cleaners and room decontamination as required. Isolation room is available to be used as necessary.
Reception staff have been trained to identify patients if possible and follow guidance to refer to Room 7, via the outside door, signage to be used until the room has been decontaminated.
Monthly vaccine stock check and fridge clean.
Posters have been laminated and in each clinical room regarding needle stick injury, hand washing and disposal of sharps in each room. Door poster for patients regarding Diarrhoea and Rabies infection poster with information about contact if required in cases of possible rabies exposure.
Hand washing audit done monthly with clinical staff and non-clinical staff.
New staff are trained in the use of PPE Handling samples, and the hand hygiene. Two new members of the nursing team undertaken training in Nov/Dec 2022
Hand washing posters displayed din designated hand basins
All staff proficient in hand decontamination, PPE and Sharps disposal
Sufficient supplies of PPE are available.
Staff involved in patient care should be bare below the elbows, no false nails, no gel nails, no nail polish no wrist watches, no stoned rings. Short sleeved garments.
The practice at present provides uniforms which should be laundered to home on a 90-degree cycle.
Curtains are changed on a regular basis in line with IPC. Linen curtains are laundered 6 monthly and disposable curtains are changed 6 monthly. Curtains are dated remind staff when change is due.
Wipe clean blinds have been fitted where possible in the Dunster site in line with IPC
Sinks can operate by turning off with wrist or elbows.
Hand sanitizer is available on desktops, and all reception /admin desks and waiting room have hand gel for sanitising and patients are encouraged to use them as well as staff.
Risk Assessments
Risk assessment have been carried out so that best practice care be followed
Legionella: Water assessment at each site is conducted on a weekly basis and recorded and uploaded to Clarity
Immunisations: The practice ensure all staff are immunised and up to date with annual flu vaccines
Covid boosters as necessary when offered
Clinical staff involved with patient care ae vaccinated and booster as necessary for Hepatitis B
MMR vaccines, a course of 2 vaccines should have been administered, in line with occupation al health requirements. New staff have been advised of the need for MMR vaccination considering the increase in cases.
The annual flu programme offered to patients each year and to the homebound in the community.
New temperature controlled and lockable vaccine fridge has been purchased prior to the flu clinic in September to enable vaccines to be stored on one site after delivery. New fridge loggers have been purchased to enable weekly download of the temperature and ongoing recording of daily temperatures of all fridges at both sites.
Training
All staff do mandatory training on e-learning hub made available them and should update annually.
New staff joining the surgery are advise in the use of colour coding bins/disposal of infectious rubbish, general waste and sharps.
Policies for IPC are updated as necessary 28 policies for IPC are available to be seen on Clarity.
Two new practice nurses have been enrolled on the New to Practice Nursing Fellowship training where they will have access to Legacy nurses for support and mentoring.
As a result of ongoing infection control updates the cleaners who attend both surgeries have been given extra hours to enable them to do the cleaning and daily documentation of the work that they have done, this is being reviewed by the Practice manager and the documentation kept for reference.
Audit for coming year:
Minor surgery audit
Domestic cleaning audit
Hand hygiene audits to continue
IPC audit of environment