Infection Control Statement

We aim to keep our surgery clean and tidy and offer a safe environment to our patients and staff. We are proud of our Surgery and endeavour to keep it clean and well maintained at all times.

If you have any concerns about cleanliness or infection control within Giffard Drive Surgery, please report these to our Reception staff. If it is outside of our surgery we will forward your comment to the practice manager.

Our staff follow our Infection Control Policy to ensure the care we deliver and the equipment we use is safe.

We take additional measures to ensure we maintain the highest standards:

• Encourage staff and patients to raise any issues or report any incidents relating to cleanliness and infection control.  We can discuss these and identify improvements we can make to avoid any future problems.
• Carry out an annual infection control audit to make sure our infection control procedures are working.
• Provide annual staff updates and training on cleanliness and infection control
• Review our policies and procedures to make sure they are adequate and meet national guidance.
• Maintain the premises and equipment to a high standard within the available financial resources and ensure that all reasonable steps are taken to reduce or remove all infection risk.
• Use washable or disposable materials for items such as couch rolls, modesty curtains, floor coverings, towels etc., and ensure that these are laundered, cleaned or changed frequently to minimise risk of infection.
• Make Alcohol Hand Rub Gel available throughout the practice.

Infection control annual statement

1. Purpose of the statement

In line with the Department of Health, The Health and Social Care Act 2008: Code of Practice on Prevention and Control of Infection and its Related 

Guidance (2015), the practice annual statement will be generated each year. It will summarise:

• Any infection transmission incidents and any action taken (these will have been reported in accordance with our Significant Events Report procedures).
• Details of any infection control audits undertaken and actions taken.
• Details of any infection control risk assessments undertaken.
• Details of any staff training.
• Any review and update of policies, procedures and guidelines. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/449049/Code_of_practice_280715_acc.pdf

2. Lead for the prevention and Control of Infection

• Practice infection control lead – Victoria Wilde and responsible for annual infection control audit.
• Training by Victoria Wilde: Blue stream Academy updates

3. Significant events

• In 2023 no significant events have occurred at the practice relating to infection control, eg, needlestick injuries, vaccine refrigerator breakdown. No outbreak of an infection such as any multiple cases of covid, diarrhoea and vomiting, norovirus, or clostridium difficile.

4. Audits and risk assessments

• Risk assessments and audits related to infection control are carried out regularly and an aggregation on an annual basis.

5. Staff training

• All clinical and non-clinical staff (including the cleaner) undertakes infection control training on a 3 yearly basis. Our current education provider is Blue stream academy.

6. Policies, procedures and guidelines All infection control policies are reviewed and updated annually as appropriate. This is on-going and amendments will be made as current advice changes.

Sign off 

• Victoria Wilde Nurse Practitioner
• DR Alison Thomas Senior GP Partner

Please see the entire document here.