Village Surgery
For the period: 2025/2026
1. Introduction & Commitment
Village Surgery is committed to protecting our patients, staff and visitors from infections by ensuring safe and effective infection prevention and control (IPC) measures are in place and routinely reviewed. This statement summarises our IPC activities during the reporting period and sets out our priorities for the coming year.
2. Statutory Framework and Governance
· Our practice operates under the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act 2008: Code of Practice on the prevention and control of infections and related guidance.
· The CQC’s expectations for IPC are met through our governance arrangements: staff have clear roles, training is provided, premises and equipment are maintained clean and hygienic, and infection risks are assessed and managed.
· Accountability: the lead IPC Nurse is responsible for overseeing IPC and is supported by the Management Team.
3. Named IPC Lead and Supporting Roles
· IPC Lead: Charlotte Dring, Practice Nurse
· Management Lead: Lauren Strange, Business Manager.
· Other key supporting leads:
o Vaccination / Occupational Health Lead: Miheala Vaduva, Senior Nurse.
These individuals form the IPC oversight team, ensuring implementation of policy, audit, training and improvement.
4. Infection transmission incidents (Significant Events)
Significant events (which may involve examples of good practice as well as challenging events) 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 a practice meeting (Quarterly) and any learning is cascaded to all relevant staff.
5. Risk Assessments and Audits Undertaken
· Risk assessments completed during the year:
o Environmental cleaning risk assessment – completed throughout the year at quarterly intervals.
o Decontamination / medical‐device risk assessment – completed throughout the year at quarterly intervals.
o IPC policy review & risk assessment for emerging infections (e.g., respiratory viruses) – completed on October 2025.
· Audit programme:
o Hand hygiene audits: completed throughout the year at quarterly intervals.
o Cleaning schedule and environmental audits: completed throughout the year at quarterly intervals.
o PPE usage / disposal audits: completed throughout the year at quarterly intervals.
o Staff IPC compliance audits (e.g., donning/doffing, sharps management): completed throughout the year at quarterly intervals.
o Other audits (e.g., linen, waste management, ventilation): completed throughout the year at quarterly intervals.
6. Policy, Procedure & Guidance Review
· The practice’s IPC policy, procedure documents and guidance were reviewed and updated on October 2025.
· Changes included: [e.g., revision of cleaning schedule to reflect new national cleanliness standards; updated staff immunisation protocol; enhanced decontamination procedure for devices].
· All procedures are accessible to staff, and new documents introduced were communicated via staff bulletins/training sessions
7. Staff Training, Induction & Competencies
· All staff (clinical and non-clinical) received IPC training during the year.
o All staff have completed mandatory training requirements.
o Training topics: hand hygiene; PPE, waste management; cleaning protocols; infection risk assessment; decontamination; outbreak management.
· Additional training for specific roles: e.g., IPC Lead completed advanced IPC course.
· Staff induction includes IPC module.
· Competency assessments (e.g., hand hygiene technique, correct sharps disposal) were undertaken on throughout the year and will be scheduled Quarterly.
8. Environment, Equipment & Cleaning
· The practice premises are maintained to a high standard of cleanliness and hygiene; cleaning schedules (daily, weekly, monthly) are in place, documented and signed off.
· High‐touch surfaces (door handles, keyboards, telephones, light switches) are included in enhanced cleaning frequency.
· Equipment (including medical devices) subject to a documented decontamination process; logs are maintained.
· Waste management procedures are in place, including segregation, secure storage and correct disposal of clinical waste and sharps.
· Ventilation and water systems are monitored; any issues are addressed through maintenance.
· Any contamination events (e.g., spillages) are logged and cleaned following procedure.
9. References to National Guidance and Standards
· Standard Infection Control Precautions (SICPs) as outlined in the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual (NIPCM) for England Chapter 1: hand hygiene, PPE, linen, environment, waste.
· National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness (2025) – tailored cleaning frequencies and audit expectations for healthcare settings.
· CQC guidance on IPC for general practice and the wider healthcare sector.
10. Priorities for the Coming Year
For the next 12 months, our key IPC priorities will be:
· Continue to improve hand hygiene compliance.
· Review and update our Vaccination Storage Process, Stock Control Process and Medicines Management Policy.
· Develop and deliver a refresher training module for non‐clinical staff on infection control and cleaning responsibilities.
· Introduce environmental cleaning “spot-checks” and visual audits in waiting areas and reception.
· Update cleaning schedule to align with National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness 2025, re–evaluate high-touch surfaces risk.
· Improve documentation and visibility of IPC audit results and remedial actions to ensure continuous improvement.
11. Declaration
I confirm that, to the best of my knowledge, the information provided in this statement is accurate and reflects the IPC arrangements at [Village Surgery for the stated period.
Name: Lauren Strange
Position: Business Manager
Date: October 2025
Please note this statement will be reviewed and updated annually — next review October 2026