Annual Statement of Compliance with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Purpose
This annual statement will be generated each year in October in accordance with the requirements of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 Code of Practice on the prevention and control of infections and related guidance. It summarises:
- Any infection transmission incidents and any action taken (these will have been reported in accordance with our Significant Event procedure)
- Details of any infection control audits undertaken and actions undertaken
- Details of any risk assessments undertaken for prevention and control of infection
- Details of staff training
- Any review and update of policies, procedures and guidelines
Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Lead
The Mereside Medical Group Lead for Infection Prevention and Control is Jane Wadley GPN, supported by Decontamination Leads Jane Wadley, Sarah Smith, Victoria Ward and Nicola Chirilescu.
Infection Transmission Incidents (Significant Events)
Significant events (which may involve examples of good practice as well as challenging events) which may have led to infection transmission are investigated in detail to see what can be learnt and to indicate changes that might lead to future improvements. All significant events are reviewed in regular staff meetings and learning is cascaded to all relevant staff. All significant events are recorded on the TeamNet database.
In the past year there have been no significant events raised that relates to infection control.
Audits and Actions
The annual Infection Control audit was completed on 15 August 2023 (Cathedral), 22 August 2023 (Staploe), and 7 October 2023 (Haddenham) by Jane Wadley.
Audit results scores this year were: 96% (Cathedral), 97% (Staploe) and 98% (Haddenham).
As a result of the audit, the following things have been changed at Mereside Medical Practices:
- All sharps bins in use are labelled correctly prior to use and verified as having been disposed of every three months.
- Presence of laminated posters demonstrating good handwashing in every clinical room was verified.
- Areas where walls and/or floors were not compliant have been added to Premises and Estates repairs list.
- Handcream was made available by pump dispenser in one area accessible to all clinical staff.
Mereside Medical also undertakes the following regularised audits and premises checks:
- Annual Cleaning audit, including New Cleaning Standards
- Annual Waste audit
- Quarterly Hand hygiene audit
- Quarterly Sharps bin audit
- Weekly Cleaning Spot Checks
- Regular ad hoc Waste Spot Checks
Risk Assessments
The following risk assessments are carried out annually and the outcomes are recorded in TeamNet:
Legionella (Water) Risk Assessment: The practice has conducted/reviewed its water safety risk assessment to ensure that the water supply does not pose a risk to patients, visitors, or staff.
Immunisation: We ensure that all our staff are up to date with any occupational health vaccinations, as applicable to their role (i.e., Hepatitis B, MMR, Seasonal Flu and Covid vaccinations). We take part in the National Immunisation campaigns for patients and offer vaccinations in house and via home visits to our patient population.
Curtains and window blinds: The NHS Cleaning Specifications state the curtains should be cleaned or if using disposable curtains, replaced every 6 months. To this effect we only use disposable curtains and ensure they are changed every 6 months. All curtains are regularly reviewed and changed if visibly soiled. The window blinds are very low risk and therefore do not require a particular cleaning regime other than damp dusting to prevent build-up of dust.
Cleaning specifications, frequencies, and cleanliness: All Mereside Practices adhere to the National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness 2021.
Staff Training
Training in Infection Prevention and Control is mandatory for all staff employed by Mereside Medical. All staff training is recorded on TeamNet.
Review and Update of Policies and Procedures
All Mereside Medical Policies and Procedures are reviewed and updated at least annually by Jane Wadley, supported by Jackie Spruce, Clinical Operations Manager.
