Aim of the Policy This document outlines the policy of Carefound Home Care (the Company ) in relation to 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 amongst staff and clients. All of the staff working in the Company 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 that can be spread if staff do not take adequate precautions. The aim of the Company is to prevent the spread of infection amongst staff, clients and the local community. The goals of the Company are to ensure that: clients, their families and staff are as safe as possible from acquiring infections through workbased activities all staff at the Company are aware of and put into operation basic principles of infection control Legal and Regulatory Guidelines The Company will adhere to infection control legislation: the Health and Safety at Work Act etc. 1974 and the Public Health Infectious Diseases Regulations 1988, which place a duty on the Company to prevent the spread of infection the Reporting of Incidents, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 ( RIDDOR ), which place a duty on the Company to report outbreaks of certain diseases as well as accidents such as needle-stick accidents the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 ( COSHH ), which place a duty on the Company to ensure that potentially infectious materials within the Company are identified as hazards and dealt with accordingly the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which makes it the responsibility of the Company to dispose of clinical waste safely the Food Safety Act 1990 Policy Statement This Company believes that adherence to strict guidelines on infection control is of paramount importance in ensuring the safety of both clients and staff. It also believes that good, basic hygiene is the most powerful weapon against infection, particularly with respect to hand washing. Infection Control Procedures In the Company: all staff are required to make infection control a key priority and to act at all times in a way that is compatible with safe, modern and effective infection control practice Page 1 of 5
Management will make every effort to ensure that staff working in the homes of clients have access to sufficient facilities and supplies of appropriate equipment to ensure that they can implement effective infection control procedures and techniques any Home Carer who does not feel that they have access to sufficient facilities and supplies of appropriate equipment to ensure that they can implement effective infection control procedures and techniques has a duty to inform the Home Care Manager Effective Hand Washing The Company believes that the majority of cross-infection in a care environment is caused by unwashed or poorly washed hands which provide an effective transfer route for micro-organisms. The Company believes that regular, effective hand washing and drying, when done correctly, is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. Home Carers who fail to adequately wash and dry their hands before and after contact with clients may transfer microorganisms from one client to another and may expose themselves, clients and the public to infection. In the Company: all Home Carers should, at all times, observe high standards of hygiene to protect themselves and their Clients from the unnecessary spread of infection all Home Carers should ensure that their hands are thoroughly washed and dried: before and after each work shift and work break between seeing each and every client where direct contact is involved, no matter how minor the contact after handling any body fluids or waste or soiled items after handling specimens after using the toilet after blowing your nose or covering a sneeze before handling foodstuffs after bed making after removing gloves before and after any personal care where hands are visibly dirty hands should be washed thoroughly - liquid soaps and disposable paper towels should be used rather than bar soaps and fabric towels whenever possible all cuts or abrasions, particularly on the hands, should be covered with waterproof dressings at all times ordinary soap is considered to be effective for routine use in removing dirt and reducing levels of transient micro-organisms on the skin to acceptably safe levels the use of antiseptic or antimicrobial preparations is recommended if clients are known to have an infectious disease or are colonised with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus ( MRSA ) antiseptic hand washing solutions may also be used in situations where effective hand washing is not possible the use of alcoholic products for hand decontamination is not intended to replace washing hands with soap and water but rather to supplement hand washing where extra Page 2 of 5
decontamination is required or to provide an alternative means of hand decontamination in situations where standard facilities are unavailable or unacceptable (for example, between clients or in unsanitary conditions) to be effective hands should be thoroughly washed before the use of an alcoholic rub and again after the procedure or patient contact has ended Effective Hand Washing Technique The Company appreciates that as Home Carers are working within clients own homes the facilities for hand washing may vary. If the facilities are unacceptable the Company will discuss this with the client prior to commencement of service in order to ascertain if the facilities may be improved. In all instances the Company promotes the following hand washing procedure: Fingernails must be kept short; nail varnish, and / or false nails must not be worn Cuts and abrasions must be covered with waterproof plasters Staff will refer to the Uniform Policy but, all jewellery such as bracelets and rings should be removed (where possible) Always wet the hands before applying liquid soap Apply sufficient liquid soap to produce a good lather Rub liquid soap evenly over all areas of the hands paying particular attention to the thumbs, tips of fingers, the wrists and the webs between the fingers Rinse off every trace of lather under running water, or with clean, warm water in a bowl or basin Dry hands and wrists with a clean paper towel (where possible) or fabric towel Dispose of the paper towel into the bin If hands look clean, use an alcohol-based handrub, where supplied. Rub it in until it has evaporated and hands are dry Use a moisturising cream regularly to prevent dry hands The Handling and Disposal of Clinical and Soiled Waste Liquid waste, faecal matter and vomit must be flushed down the toilet Solid waste (e.g. paper towels used for spillages, used protective gloves, incontinence products etc.) must be placed in a plastic bag, such as a bin liner or carrier bag and then placed in a second plastic bag. This, in turn, must be tied and disposed of through the normal refuse collection. Care must be taken that the bags are not subsequently punctured, are safely contained prior to collection and that the risk of spillage on transfer is minimised In domestic settings, waste resulting from clinical procedures performed by other health care assistants (e.g. dressings, catheter bags etc.) must be double bagged and disposed of as described above, unless the relevant health care professional makes other arrangements The Use of Protective Clothing Adequate and suitable personal protective equipment and clothing will be provided by the Company (see Protective Clothing and Equipment Policy) All Home Carers who are at risk of coming into direct contact with body fluids or who are performing personal care tasks should use disposable gloves and disposable aprons Page 3 of 5
Non-sterile gloves are provided for non-clinical procedures and should be worn as single use items and safely disposed of after use Disposable aprons are provided and should be worn as single use items which should be safely disposed of after use The responsibility for ordering and ensuring that supplies of gloves and aprons are readily available and accessible lies with the Home Care Manager Any Home Carer who suspects that they or a client might be suffering from an allergic reaction to the latex gloves provided should stop using them immediately and inform the Home Care Manager. They should then consult their GP Cleaning and Procedures for the Cleaning of Spillages Home Carers should treat every spillage of body fluids or body waste as quickly as possible and as potentially infectious When cleaning up a spillage Home Carers should wear protective gloves and aprons and use disposable wipes or paper towels wherever possible Any spillage should be covered with sufficient disposable paper towels or cloths to absorb it. When absorption is complete, the paper towels or cloths should be disposed of safely. The area should then be thoroughly cleaned with a suitable cleaning product. Where the use of the cleaning product is inappropriate (e.g. on carpet or fabric, plenty of warm, soapy water should be used instead) The Handling and Storage of Specimens Specimens should only be collected if ordered by a GP All specimens should be treated with equally high levels of caution Specimens should be labelled clearly and packed into self-sealing bags before being taken to the doctors Non-sterile gloves should be worn when handling the specimen containers and hands should be washed afterwards Contact with Sharps Home care staff will not be responsible for the use of sharps (e.g. needles) however in the case of accidental contact with sharps Home Carers should: wash the area immediately and encourage bleeding if the skin is broken report the injury to the Home Care Manager immediately and ensure that an Accident and Incident Form is filled in make an urgent appointment to see a GP or, if none are available, the nearest Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department Accidents and Incidents Where body products come into contact with intact skin, they must be washed off with warm water and soap as soon as possible. No further action is necessary. However, action must be taken if: The skin is broken by a bite or scratch Page 4 of 5
The skin is breached by a sharp object contaminated by body fluids The body fluids are splashed onto broken skin, mucous membranes or the eyes In these circumstances, the affected part must be washed immediately and thoroughly with soap and copious quantities of running warm or cold (not hot) water. Any bleeding should be encouraged. In the case of eyes, they should be flushed with lukewarm water, saline or a proper eye-wash solution. The accident must be reported to the Home Care Manager as soon as possible and an Accident and Incident form completed. This should include details of the nature of the incident and whether the skin was broken or mucous membranes contaminated. The wound must be inspected by a medical professional and blood taken as soon as possible and certainly on the same day. A follow-up blood test will have to be taken to establish if there have been any changes compared with the first test. If the source is known to have an infectious condition this information must be communicated in the strictest confidence to the health professionals inspecting the wound. Food Hygiene All staff should adhere to the Company s Food Hygiene Policy and ensure that all food prepared in Clients homes for Clients is prepared, cooked, stored and presented in accordance with the high standards required by the Food Safety Act 1990 and the Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2005. Any Home Carer who becomes ill while handling food should report at once to his or her Home Care Manager, or to the Company head office. Home Carers involved in food handling who are ill should see their GP and should only return to work when their GP states that they are safe to do so. Reporting The RIDDOR oblige the Company to report the outbreak of notifiable diseases to the HSE. Notifiable diseases include: cholera, food poisoning, smallpox, typhus, dysentery, measles, meningitis, mumps, rabies, rubella, tetanus, typhoid fever, viral haemorrhagic fever, hepatitis, whooping cough, leptospirosis, tuberculosis and yellow fever. Records of any such outbreak will be kept specifying dates and times and a completed disease report form will be sent to the HSE. RIDDOR forms are kept in the Company head office. In the event of an incident, the Director is responsible for informing the HSE. In the event of the suspected outbreak of an infectious disease at the Company, the local Consultant in Communicable Disease Control or Communicable Disease Team will be contacted immediately. Training All new staff will be encouraged to read the policy on infection control as part of their induction process. Existing staff will be offered training covering basic information about infection control. Inhouse training sessions will be conducted at least annually. Page 5 of 5