Infection Control Awareness

What is infection control awareness training?

Infection control awareness training is a short course aimed at providing those who attend it with the knowledge and skills to prevent and control the spread of infections within a health and social care setting.

What does the course cover?

An infection control awareness course will cover the typical infectious hazards within a care setting and the risk they present to human health.

It will also explore the common prevention and control measures available to care settings and how those in attendance can contribute to their effectiveness.

In addition, the legal responsibilities placed upon employers and employees will be explored, which will further emphasise the importance of adhering to workplace infection control safeguards.

How is it assessed?

The infection control awareness course is assessed using a short 10-question end-of-course assessment based on the learning outcomes listed below.

On completion of infection control awareness training, those who attend should be able to:

• Identify the primary reasons for preventing and controlling infection

• Identify the standards for infection control and who is responsible for regulating and enforcing compliance

• Identify the responsibilities of both the employer and employee

• Define the term infection and list its associated group microorganisms

• List the factors that increase the risk of infection

• Identify contaminates, contamination sources and precautions

• Identify good hand hygiene practices and PPE donning and doffing techniques

• Identify the chain of infection and its components

• List the three processes of decontamination

How long does it take?

The duration of this course is 3 hours. It can be delivered from the classroom environment or online via Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Webex. Typically, a health and social care setting will run this course over a single morning or afternoon session.

Who needs an infection control awareness course?

This course is aimed at individuals of all levels working within health and social care. The typical demographic of those who complete this training includes nursing staff, physiotherapists, and care workers.

Why is it important?

The risk of infection exists for both care staff and the often-vulnerable service users under their care. Therefore, care staff must be trained in infection prevention and control to enable them to comply with the standard precautions and minimise the spread of infection.

Infection control training is also a legal requirement under the health and safety legislation where a significant risk exists from infectious disease.

For example, the threat posed by infection is often greater when a group of sick or older people come together to receive treatment and care, such as in a nursing or residential home.

Therefore, the implementation of the precautions and controls covered within an infection control awareness can play a significant role in reducing the level of risk of infectious outbreaks.