Annual Infection Control Statement 2026

Introduction

This Annual Statement has been drawn up on 5/1/2026 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 for The Wells Medical Practice.

This statement has been drawn up by:

Name: Robyn Colvin and Holly Shorten Role: Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Lead and link nurse

1. Infection transmission incidents

There have been no identified infection transmission incidents within the practice in the past year.

During the year, the practice successfully managed a water outage, ensuring infection prevention and control policies were followed as far as reasonably practicable. The incident was managed safely, and the majority of patients continued to be seen, with no impact on routine care.

2. IPC audits and actions

The practice has completed the following audits during the past year:

• Standard Infection Control Precautions (SICPs) audit
• Code of Practice compliance: Annual IPC Assurance Tool for General Practice

The outcomes of these audits have been used to inform and shape our infection prevention and control action plans for the practice.

Audit findings are reviewed by the IPC Lead and discussed at quarterly IPC meetings, with action plans developed and monitored to completion.

As a result of these audits, examples of the changes and improvements made at The Wells Medical Practice include:

• Review and update of Infection Control and related policies
• Installation of new hand soap dispensers in all clinical rooms
• Alcohol hand gel available at practice entrances
• Replacement of clinical chairs in line with IPC guidance
• Introduction of new apron rolls to support PPE provision
• Identification and implementation of improvements required in clinical rooms, including accessibility of PPE, hand hygiene facilities, and waste disposal
• Display of infection control posters across all patient areas and clinical rooms
• Creation of a dedicated Infection Prevention and Control notice board in Level 1 reception for staff and service users
• Ongoing development of the Infection Control section of The Wells Medical Practice website

Throughout the year, the practice has completed monthly audits on:

• Hand hygiene (all staff)
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• Environmental cleanliness, using the National Standards of Cleanliness audit

In addition, the practice has completed six-monthly audits on antimicrobial prescribing and has plans to complete an annual audit on aseptic technique.

3. Risk assessments

Legionella: The practice completes annual Legionella water safety risk assessments in line with guidance.

Immunisations: As a practice, we ensure all staff are up to date with occupational health vaccinations appropriate to their role, including MMR, Hepatitis B, and seasonal influenza.

Curtains: Disposable curtains are used in all clinical rooms and are changed six-monthly, or sooner if visibly damaged or soiled.

Hand washing sinks: There is appropriate and easy access to hand washing facilities in every clinical area.

4. Staff training

All clinical and non-clinical staff are up to date with infection prevention and control training using the Invicta Health training system. IPC training is completed:

• Annually
• On staff induction
• As part of the annual IPC Protected Learning Time (PLT) training event

A successful IPC PLT training session was delivered during the year for all clinical and non-clinical staff by the IPC team.

The Infection Control Lead Nurse, Robyn Colvin, and Link Nurse, Holly, have completed the Infection Prevention and Control Lead/Link Practitioner Course and continue to maintain competence in their roles.

The practice has also held quarterly IPC meetings to discuss infection prevention and control within the surgery, review audits, share learning, and agree actions.

IPC policies, procedures and guidance

All infection prevention and control related policies are up to date, reflect current legislation and national guidance, and have been reviewed within the past year.

The Infection Control Policy has been included as a “Policy of the Month” and circulated regularly to staff to reinforce best practice.

All IPC related policies and guidance are stored on the internal system and are accessible to staff at all times.

Antimicrobial prescribing and stewardship

The practice Clinical Pharmacist completes six-monthly antimicrobial prescribing audits, and antimicrobial stewardship policies are available to all relevant staff to promote safe and appropriate prescribing.

Next annual statement due: January 2027