Policy on Infection Control

Policy Statement

Westminster Homecare believes that adherence to strict guidelines on infection control is of paramount importance in ensuring the safety of both service users and staff.

The Company adheres fully to Standard 11 – Safe working practices of the National Minimum Standards for Domiciliary Care.

Aim

The Company aims to prevent the spread of infection amongst staff, service users and the local community.

Goals

The goals of the Company are to ensure that:

  1. Service users, their families and staff are as safe as possible from acquiring infections..
  2. All staff are aware of and put into practice the basic principles of infection control.

Personnel

Infection Control Lead for the Company:______

Risk Assessment and staff training:______

Legal Considerations and Statutory Guidance

The Company should adhere to the following infection control legislation.

  1. The Health and Safety at Work, etc Act 1974 and the Public Health and Infectious Diseases Regulations 1988 which place a duty on the Company to prevent the spread of infection.
  2. The Reporting of incidents, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR) which places a duty on the Company to report outbreaks of certain diseases as well as accidents such as needle-stick accidents.
  3. The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1999 (COSHH) which places a duty on the Company to ensure that potentially infectious materials are identified as hazards and dealt with accordingly.
  4. The Environmental Protection Act 1990 which makes it the responsibility of the Company to dispose of clinical waste safely.

Hand Washing

Westminster Homecare believes that, consistent with modern infection control evidence and knowledge, hand washing is the single most important method of preventing the spread of infection. All staff should ensure that their hands are thoroughly washed and dried:

  1. Between seeing each and every service user where direct contact is involved, no matter how minor the contact.
  2. After handling any body fluids or waste or soiled items.
  3. After handling specimens.
  4. After using the toilet.
  5. Before handling food.

Hands should be washed thoroughly, washing thumbs, between fingers, under nails, backs and fronts of the hands. Liquid soaps and disposable paper towels rather than bars of soap and fabric towels should be used wherever possible. Antiseptic hand washing solutions should only be used in situations where handwashing is not possible. They are not for general use.

All cuts and abrasions, particularly on the hands, should be covered with a waterproof dressing at all times.

Cleaning and Procedures for the Cleaning of Spillage

All staff have a responsibility to help keep work areas clean and tidy and to identify areas which fall below acceptable or safe standards.

Staff should treat every spillage of body fluids or body waste as quickly as possible and as potentially infectious. Eye protection should also be used if there is a risk of splashing.

For a spillage of blood or body fluids a 10,000 ppm hypochlorite solution should be used. Staff should do the following:

  1. Put on disposable gloves and an apron.
  2. Prepare the hypochlorite solution.
  3. Cover the spillage with paper towels.
  4. Carefully wipe up the spillage with more towels soaked in hypochlorite.
  5. Dispose of the waste in a yellow plastic sack.
  6. Wash hands with soap and water.

Cleaning and Sterilising of Instruments and Equipment

Westminster Homecare believes that using certain single use, disposable equipment supplied by the local Central Sterile Services Department (CSSD) is preferable, wherever practical, to using equipment that requires sterilisation. All equipment that is not disposable should be cleaned after use. Non-risk equipment should be thoroughly cleaned with hot water and detergent.

The Handling and Disposal of Clinical and Soiled Waste

All clinical waste should be disposed of in sealed yellow plastic sacks and each sack should be clearly labelled with the client’s details. Non-clinical waste should be disposed of in domestic black plastic bags. When no more than three-quarters full, yellow sacks should be sealed and stored sagely to await clinical collection by an authorised collector. Yellow bags should only be used in pedal-type bins in clinical areas.

The Use of Protective Clothing

Gloves and disposable aprons are provided for staff who at risk of coming into direct contact with body fluids.

  1. Sterile gloves are provided for clinical procedures such as applying dressings. These should be worn at all times during service user contact and should be changed between service users. On no account should staff attempt to wash and reuse the gloves.
  2. Non-sterile gloves are provided for washing dirty or used instruments, cleaning up blood or bodily fluids and for handling disinfectants.

The responsibility for ordering and ensuring adequate supplies of gloves and aprons lies with:

Any member of staff who suspects that they, or a service user might be suffering from an allergic reaction to the latex gloves provided should stop using them immediately and inform the Company management. They should then consult their GP.

The Disposal of Sharps

Sharps should be disposed of in proper purpose-built sharps disposal containers complying with BS7320.

  1. Staff should never resheath needles.
  2. Boxes should not be overfilled.
  3. When full, boxes should be sealed, marked as hazardous waste and clearly labelled with the client’s details.
  4. Sharps boxes must always be placed out of the way of service users, especially form children who may be attracted by the bright colour.
  5. Used, filled boxes should be stored securely until collected for incineration.

The Storage, Preparation and Serving of Food

Any storage or handling of food raises a potential risk of food poisoning so the highest standards of hygiene must be observed by all staff and at all times.

Any staff suffering from food poisoning, diarrhoea of vomiting should report it to the Branch Manager and see their GP immediately.

Reporting

The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR) obliges the Company to report the outbreak of notifiable diseases to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Notifiable diseases include; cholera, food poisoning, smallpox, typhus, dysentery, measles, meningitis, whooping cough, leptospirosis, tuberculosis and yellow fever.

Records of any such outbreak must be kept, specifying dates and times and a completed disease report form must be sent to the HSE.

In the event of an incident, the Branch Manager is responsible for informing the Health and Safety Executive.

RIDDOR forms are kept:______

Reporting Emergencies

In the event of a suspected outbreak of an infectious disease the local consultant in communicable disease control or communicable disease team should be contacted immediately.

Contact details:______

Infection Control Training

All new staff should be encouraged to read the policy on Infection Control and Food preparations and Handling as part of their induction process. Existing staff should be offered training to National Training Organisation standards covering basic information about infection control. In-house training sessions should be conducted at least annually and all relevant staff should attend.

Infection Control training co-ordinator:______

Signed:______

Date:______

Policy Review Date:______

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Health and Safety

(Infection Control)June 2002