N67. Personal Protective Equipment for Infection Control

Policy Statement

This policy shows how {{org_field_name}} prevents and controls the spread of infection among staff, service users and the local community through the correct wearing of protective equipment and related procedures.

The aims are to ensure that service users, their families and staff are as safe as possible from acquiring infections and care staff are aware of and put into practice the basic principles of infection control.

Infection control is the name given to a wide range of policies, procedures and techniques intended to prevent the spread of infectious diseases among staff, service users and communities. All care staff working in a service user’s home are at risk of infection or of spreading infection, especially if their role brings them into contact with blood or bodily fluids like urine, faeces, vomit or sputum. Such substances may well contain pathogens which can be spread if staff do not take adequate precautions.

Adherence to strict guidelines on infection control is of paramount importance in ensuring the safety of both service users and staff. Also, good, basic hygiene is the most powerful weapon against infection, particularly with respect to cleaning, the wearing of protective clothing and hand washing.

Legislation and Guidance

The policy is in line with the requirements of Regulation 12: Safe Care and Treatment of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 and the corresponding Code of Practice for Health and Adult Social Care on the Prevention and Control of Infections and Related Guidance.(The Hygiene Code).

Other infection control legislation, which {{org_field_name}} must observe include:

the Health and Safety at Work, etc Act 1974 and the Public Health Infectious Diseases Regulations 1988 which place a duty on {{org_field_name}} to prevent the spread of infection
the Reporting of Incidents, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR), which places a duty on {{org_field_name}} to report outbreaks of certain diseases as well as accidents such as needlestick accidents
the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) which places a duty on {{org_field_name}} to ensure that potentially infectious materials are identified as hazards and dealt with accordingly
the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which makes it the responsibility of {{org_field_name}} to dispose of clinical waste safely
the Health and Social Care Act 2008: Code of Practice for Health and Adult Social Care on the Prevention and Control of Infections and Related Guidance (the “Hygiene Code”), which requires care providers to base infection control and prevention policies on evidence-based guidelines which include those on effective hand hygiene at the point of care and the use of personal protective equipment.

The Use of Personal Protective Equipment

In consultation with staff and their representatives, {{org_field_name}} will:

identify, as part of its risk assessment programme, the need for any Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
carry out an assessment of proposed PPE to determine whether or not it is suitable
take any necessary measures to remedy any risks found as a result of the assessment
replace, modify or repair PPE to meet statutory obligations, as necessary and at no cost to the employee
inform every employee of any risks that may remain
ensure that staff are trained to use PPE correctly
reassess, as necessary, any substances used or work processes that have changed.

Disposable gloves and aprons

{{org_field_name}} understands that the effective use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in relation to infection control and prevention is a vital area in preventing the spread of healthcare-associated infections and is essential in complying with the Health and Social Care Act 2008: Code of Practice for Health and Adult Social Care on the Prevention and Control of Infections and Related Guidance. This guidance, commonly referred to as the Hygiene Code, requires care providers to base infection control and prevention policies on evidence-based guidelines which include those on effective hand hygiene at the point of care and the use of PPE.

The hands of staff are likely to be the most common means of transmission of infection from one service user to another unless basic precautions are taken, ie careful hand washing between contacts and the correct use of protective clothing such as disposable gloves (sterile and non-sterile) and disposable aprons.

Disposable gloves and disposable aprons are provided for staff who are at risk of coming into direct contact with body fluids, or waste such as faeces.

Sterile gloves are provided for clinical procedures.
Non-sterile gloves are provided for non-clinical procedures such as:

a. providing personal care
b. clearing up blood or bodily fluids or spillages
c. handling disinfectants
d. inserting suppositories or enemas
e. emptying catheter bags
f. performing mouth care.

Gloves should be worn at all times during these procedures and disposed of immediately after the procedure or contact is finished.
Gloves should always be changed between service users.
On no account should staff attempt to wash and reuse gloves.

Plastic disposable aprons are also provided for use by care staff. Aprons should be used in all of the above procedures and should be changed between contacts with individual service users, especially where service users are known to be colonised or infected with MRSA.

The responsibility for ordering and ensuring that supplies of gloves and aprons are readily available and accessible lies with _____________________________.

Latex allergies

Some people can develop allergic reactions to the latex within disposable gloves. Any member of staff who suspects that they might be suffering from an allergic reaction to the latex gloves provided should stop using them immediately and inform their line manager or supervisor. They should then consult their GP.

Personnel

_______________________ is the infection control lead for {{org_field_name}}.
Other infection control personnel are:

a. _________________ who is responsible for infection control risk assessment and staff training.

Training

All new staff receive training in {{org_field_name}}’s health and safety policies as part of their induction.

Where new staff are required to use specific items of personal protective equipment (PPE) they should be trained in all aspects of its use.

All care staff will be trained in the effective use of PPE at the point of care as part of their infection control training.

Reviewed on: {{last_update_date}}

N67. Personal Protective Equipment for Infection Control