Infection, Prevention and Control (IPC)
Infection, Prevention and Control (IPC) is the use of safe practices and ways of working that help to prevent or reduce infections within health and social settings.
Effective IPC approaches help minimise the risk of harm to individuals' quality of life and its impact on healthcare services.
Standard infection control precautions should be used by all staff, in all settings, at all times and for all residents whether infection is known to be present or not.
About the West Northamptonshire IPC Team
The West Northamptonshire Council’s Infection, Prevention and Control team sits within the Public Health Team and play an important part in keeping the population in all community settings safe and healthy by minimising the risk of incidents and outbreaks of infection.
The purpose of an IPC team is to implement national and local strategies and protocols to minimise the risk of infections in health and social settings. They work to prevent the spread of infections among health and social care patients, the workforce and children, ensuring a safe and clean environment.
The team is responsible for surveillance, outbreak management, education and adherence to best practices to comply with standard and enhanced IPC measures - ultimately, safeguarding public health and improving their health and wellbeing outcomes.
Our responsibilities will encompass a broad spectrum of critical tasks including:
- supporting you in becoming IPC compliant
- increasing knowledge and awareness of the infection prevention practices through training
- outbreak and incident management
- carry out IPC risk assessments
- collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to develop effective strategies to minimize the spread of infections within the community
Support available from the West Northamptonshire IPC Team
If your setting is experiencing difficulty in IPC compliance or have an incident or outbreak of any infectious disease, you can contact us by completing the form below. This will be reviewed by a member of the IPC Team to support your needs.
Further information
- Infection prevention and control in adult social care settings
- COVID-19 supplement to the infection prevention and control resource for adult social care
- Health protection in children and young people settings, including education
- COVID-19: guidance and support - please note that there are currently no restrictions for Covid-19
Last updated 17 September 2024