Infection Prevention and Control

Corporate Induction

2014

Infection prevention and control

How to protect yourself and others

• Immunisation• Appropriate wearing of PPE (Personal Protective

Equipment)• Outbreaks (non essential personnel)• If you are ill – do not come into work• Washing hands with soap and water or alcohol

hand rub

Hand Hygiene  

 Bacteria cultured from a single hand print

Alcohol hand rubs

Not to be used when hands are :• Visibly soiled (blood or body fluids)• After glove wearing• If contact with known/suspected Norovirus or

Clostridium difficile

Skin Care

Bacterial counts increase when the skin is damaged

It’s important that skin integrity is maintained, this is achieved by:

• Always wetting hands thoroughly prior to application of liquid soap

• Rinsing hands thoroughly to remove soap • Drying hands carefully• Always wash hands after removing gloves• Applying good quality Trust approved hand cream on a

regular basis

Hand Moisturiser

If you develop eczema, dermatitis or any other skincondition you must seek advice from the OccupationalHealth Department as soon as possible

If you are unable to use the Trust hand cleansing ormoisturising products due to a skin condition/allergyseek advice from Occupational Health Department

Sharps SafetyNEVER

• Fill the sharps container beyond the fill line• Pass sharps from hand to hand• Recap / resheath needles• Guide needles with fingers• Send needles attached to syringes to the laboratory• Rely on others to dispose of sharps for you• Leave sharps unattended• Reach into a sharps container• Grab at falling instruments• Rush or attempt short cuts whilst using sharps or needles• Take a used device apart

Sharps SafetyALWAYS

• Use rigid BS/UN approved Sharps containers• Label the sharps container appropriately prior to assembly

and closure• Dispose of sharps at the point of use.• Discard needles and syringes as one unit into a sharps

container• Ensure sharps container is securely locked before disposal• Watch what you are doing and ignore distractions whilst

using sharps

Infection prevention and control………..

• Prevention IS better than cure• In protecting yourselves, you also protect your

patients and colleagues.• If it isn’t good enough for you, it isn’t good

enough for your patient

Help and Advice...

Intranet (Documents Library) – Policies/procedures/documentation

Email – infection.prevention@cornwall.nhs.uk

Telephone – ext.4969 or bleep via switchboard (Mon – Fri 08:00 -17:00)

Out of hours – Microbiologists available via switchboard