Has your station passed its IPC audit?

Glove box OPT

Recent infection, prevention and control (IPC) audits have found some excellent working practices across the Trust – but also some habits that need to be changed to ensure we are delivering the same standard across the organisation.

Cleanliness and station compliance were found to be good in many areas, with positive reports about the cleaning contractor, Churchill, since they started last July. Uniform compliance has also been scoring well and staff can now wear a wrist watch, if essential, and if it is made from a non-porous material e.g. rubber or plastic. It needs to be removed for hand hygiene and cleaned in between every patient care episode.

However it was also found that certain equipment is not being stored properly at stations, which is something that is checked on every audit. Consumables must be stored in wipe cleanable containers in a dedicated area, in original, unopened, intact manufacturers’ packaging and free from dust, debris or spillages.

Please also ensure you are fit tested for your FFP3 mask; this should be repeated every two years or if there is a change to the shape of the face resulting from injury, surgery or significant weight change. As these are personal issue, it is your responsibility to check the mask and that the filter cartridges are in date. FFP3 masks are a stock item and replacements can be ordered via duty locality officers.

There are plans to strengthen IPC audits in the Trust with a new role of IPC auditor in the clinical structure; this won’t stop the need for current staff to complete audits, it means that this area can be more closely monitored for quality assurance.

The IPC manual is also being updated, as always the latest version can be found on East24. Please ensure you have the latest version available on stations.

Published 9th June 2015 

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