Infection Control Procedure template

2. Roles and responsibilities

• Infection control lead ([name/role]): owns this procedure, keeps PPE and spill kit stocks at [location], arranges training, and decides on outbreak measures.
• Managers and supervisors: enforce the fitness-to-work rules, make sure materials are available on every shift, and escalate suspected outbreaks the same day.
• All staff: follow the precautions below, report symptoms before starting work, and report low stocks of soap, sanitiser, PPE or spill kit contents.

3. Hand hygiene

1. 1Wash hands with soap and warm water, covering all surfaces of both hands, for [duration — 20 seconds is the widely used guidance figure], and dry thoroughly.
2. 2Wash on arrival, before eating or handling food, after using the toilet, after coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose, after cleaning or handling waste, after removing gloves, and [before and after any personal care task].
3. 3Use alcohol-based hand sanitiser (meeting current guidance) where a basin isn't immediately available — but not as a substitute when hands are visibly dirty.
4. 4Cover cuts and abrasions with a waterproof dressing before starting work.
5. 5Keep nails short; [remove/limit jewellery per your setting's rules].

4. Personal protective equipment

• Wear single-use gloves and apron for any contact with blood or body fluids, [personal care tasks], and cleaning with hazardous chemicals.
• Single-use PPE is never reused; change it between tasks and [between individuals in care settings].
• Remove PPE in the trained order, dispose of it as contaminated waste, and wash hands immediately after removal.
• PPE stock is kept at [location] and replenished by [role] — report low stock, never ration.
• PPE is in addition to hand hygiene and cleaning, never instead of them.

5. Cleaning and decontamination

Routine cleaning follows the schedule at [location], which lists each area, frequency, method, product and owner. Cleaning frequency increases during any period of increased infection risk, on the instruction of the infection control lead.

• High-touch surfaces — [door handles, light switches, tills, phones, keypads, handrails] — are cleaned at least [frequency].
• Use the colour-coded cloths and equipment scheme: [describe your scheme].
• Use disinfectants at the manufacturer's stated dilution and contact time.
• Clean visibly dirty surfaces with detergent first — disinfectant over dirt doesn't work.

6. Blood and body fluid spillages

1. 1Keep people away from the spillage area.
2. 2Collect the spill kit from [location] and put on gloves and apron.
3. 3Cover and absorb the spillage with [paper towels/absorbent granules per your kit].
4. 4Clean the area with detergent, then disinfect with [product] at the stated dilution and contact time.
5. 5Dispose of all materials and PPE into [waste stream/bag type], seal, and place in [disposal point].
6. 6Wash hands thoroughly, restock the kit, and report the spillage to [role] for recording.

7. Staff illness and exclusion

Report symptoms of infectious illness — vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, [others relevant to your setting] — to your manager before starting work. Anyone with vomiting or diarrhoea stays away from work until symptom-free for [period — check current UK guidance; 48 hours is the widely used standard]; [food handlers and staff providing personal care follow the stricter rules for their role].

Nobody is pressured to work while infectious. Cover is arranged via [describe your cover arrangement], and exclusion under this procedure is treated as sickness absence, not a conduct issue.

8. Waste and laundry

• Separate general waste from contaminated waste ([used PPE, spillage materials, hygiene waste]) using [bag/bin types].
• Contaminated waste is disposed of via [route — clinical waste contractor where applicable]; bags are sealed before moving and never decanted.
• Handle soiled linen and workwear with gloves, bag it at the point of use, and wash it [per the temperature and method in current guidance].
• Sharps, if present, go directly into a sharps container at the point of use — never into bags or bins. [Delete if not applicable.]

9. Training, records and review

Every staff member is trained on this procedure at induction, before their first unsupervised shift, with refreshers at [frequency]. Training records, cleaning sign-offs, spillage reports and any outbreak logs are kept in [system/location].

This procedure is reviewed [frequency, e.g. annually], after any outbreak or spillage incident that surfaced a gap, and whenever national guidance changes. Owner: [name/role]. Next review due: [date].