Infection Prevention & Control

Infection prevention and control is fundamental to the effective provision and management of a safe environment for patients, healthcare workers and visitors at CUH.  Infection prevention and control is everyone’s responsibility.

 

Hand Hygiene

Care starts with clean hands. Hand hygiene has a major role to play in the prevention of infection. Clean hands reduce the risk of spread of bugs and infections.

Our patients and visitors to our hospitals should never feel uncomfortable checking if a staff member has cleaned their hands. They are encouraged to ask healthcare workers to clean their hands before they begin treating patients.

We encourage and advise visitors to our hospitals to clean their hands before and after visiting relatives or friends. Hand hygiene dispensers are located at the entrances and throughout the hospitals.

 

The Infection Prevention and Control Team

The Infection Prevention and Control team (IPCT) is a multidisciplinary team who promote best infection prevention and control practice.

The IPCT includes

  • Clinical Nurse Managers/ clinical nurse specialities.
  • Consultant Microbiologists
  • Registrars / SpRs in Microbiology
  • Surveillance Scientist
  • Antimicrobial Pharmacist

 

These staff have a specialist knowledge, experience and training in Infection Prevention and Control in the acute hospital setting. 

The work of the IPCT includes:

    • Clinical advice service
    • Infection prevention and control advice service including compiling records of patients colonised or infected with transmissible micro-organisms such as MRSA,  ESBL, VRE, CPE, COVID Influenza and  Clostridioides difficile.
    • Liaison between the laboratory and ward staff in relation to positive microbiology results
    • Identification, tracking and management of outbreak situations as they occur
    • Education of all grades of healthcare workers
    • Clinical and environmental auditing.
    • Production and update of infection prevention and control guidelines in relation to emerging national and international guidelines 
    • Infection control Surveillance 
    • Input into other services e.g., technical project works, commissioning, hygiene services, and waste management.

 

Please find links for patient information leaflets regarding infection control guidelines

 

Immunisation

  • MMR vaccination