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The role of the Infection Control Specialist
- Clinical advice/consultancy – this covers management of infectious patients, clinical care standards and practice, bed management issues, invasive/surgical procedures, hand hygiene, staff protection and outbreak management.
- Non clinical advice/consultancy – food hygiene, housekeeping services, portering services, waste management and new and refurbished building works.
- Policy and guideline development – Infection Control policies and guidelines are in a manual which is regularly reviewed, updated and evidence-based.
- Evaluation – As members of the Medical Products Group, the Infection Control Specialists work with the Procurement department and clinicians to evaluate new products that may reduce the risk of cross infection; investigate problems with equipment that may result in cross infection and ensure new equipment can be adequately decontaminated before the Trust purchases it.
- Surveillance – This is done for the prevention or early detection of outbreaks; to measure the effect of infection control strategies, and to determine the need for preventative or control measures. Surveillance takes the form of district wide checks and monitoring of MRSA and Clostridium difficile and other alert conditions; hospital-wide surveillance of nosocomia bacteraemia and of surgical site infection.
- Education – for patients, all NHS staff (including students); the general public including visitors, school children, local interest groups and worried individuals.
- Audit – is carried out to assess compliance with existing policies and guidance. Clinical audit for example looks at procedures where there is a higher risk of infection to the patient like catheters. Environmental audit covers environmental hygiene, decontamination, hand hygiene facilities and sharps disposals facilities.
- Research – practice is evidence-based. This is achieved by literature searches, critically reviewing relevant litertaure, carrying out research projects and using research findings.
Introduction
