LOCAL AND ORGANISATIONAL POLICIES

Health and Social Care Act 2008 – this is a code of practice on preventing and controlling infections and is related to the document commonly referred to as the hygiene code. This requires someone to be responsible for infection prevention and control to act as a source of authority to set and monitor practice standards.

SYSTEMS AND PROCEDURES
RELATING TO THE PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF INFECTIONS

Procedures and Systems

Procedures and systems that are applicable to the prevention of control infection are following the establishments’ policies and procedures.

Important of risk assessments
The importance of risk assessment in relation to the prevention and control of infection is that, through risk assessment, you will be able to find or uncover the factors that may cause infection and also the things that will contribute to its factors.

Hazard and Risk assessment

DEFINITION OF RISK & RISK ASSESSMENT

Risk in relation to infection is the likelihood that infection may spread rapidly between people and cause severe harm and even fatalities.

Risk assessment is the first step in a risk management process. The risk assessment determines the quantitative or qualitative value of risk related to a concrete situation and a recognised threat.

Types of risk assessments:

  • Infection control program risk assessment
  • Infection control risk assessment (ICRA)
  • Focus risk assessments (i.e., hand hygiene)