Policy for preventing and/or reducing the incidence of infections
Purpose
To outline the principles for preventing and reducing the incidence of infection among clients, team members, and contractors in home and community care settings.
Policy Statement
All HWH team members share responsibility for preventing/controlling infection by:
Adhering to universal infection control precautions
Completing mandatory Infection Prevention and Control and Hand Hygiene training
Correctly handling food, waste, spills, medical devices, and linen
Reporting any communicable diseases or infection incidents promptly
Overview
Home and community care environments present unique infection control challenges compared to acute care. Team members must understand and apply infection control principles appropriately within each client’s home environment to protect themselves and their clients. Note: Enabling safe older person visitations applies specifically to residential aged care facilities.
Home settings are private residences, not regulated clinical environments.
Hygiene resources (e.g. soap, cleaning products) may be limited.
Conditions and layouts vary widely between homes.
Clients and visitors may unintentionally breach infection control protocols.
Clients discharged from hospitals may introduce infections into the home.
Team members must often educate clients and families on safe infection control practices.
Universal Precautions
All body substances are considered potentially infectious. Team members must consistently use protective barriers and safe work practices to prevent exposure to blood, mucous membranes, and non-intact skin. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) PPE—such as gloves, aprons or gowns, masks, eye protection, and shoe cover—must be used according to the task and the assessed risk of exposure. This includes:
Gloves (single use)
Aprons/gowns (disposable, waterproof, single use)
Surgical Masks (single use)
Eyewear & Face Shields (reusable)
Shoe covers (disposable, waterproof, single use)
Team Members must:
Notify the management team if unwell or possibly contagious, for example respiratory tract infection, gastroenteritis.
Responsibilities
Governing Body
Set a clear vision, strategic direction and strong organisational culture that drives consistently safe, high-quality rights-based care.
Provide leadership and support the development of IPC policies, systems and processes.
Ensure HWH complies with relevant legislation and best practice guidelines, including monitoring of updates and changes.
Is informed about team member immunisation status and client infection rates.
Offer free annual flu vaccinations and COVID-19 vaccinations to your staff and volunteers and keep records of their vaccinations.
Management
Provide and monitor mandatory education.
Ensure availability and distribution of PPE.
Audit of infection prevention and control practices, including identifying risks and developing strategies.
Record and manage infection incidents.
Communicate confirmed contagious infections to relevant health services.
Report notifiable diseases to the Department of Health and Aged Care.
Advocate for the principles of Antimicrobial Stewardship & promote stewardship to reduce antibiotic misuse.
Support Workers
Follow infection control policies, procedures, and hygiene standards.
Use PPE when required.
Complete mandatory training and competency assessments.
Practise hand and respiratory hygiene at all times.
Report any illness, potential infection risks, or unwell clients/visitors to the office.
