Barrack Lane and Stoke Park Medical Centre Infection Prevention and Control Annual statement January to December 2025

Infection prevention control lead: Nurse Zoe Bernard

Deputy Infection prevention control lead: HCA Emma Waugh

Antimicrobial steward: Dr Nili Kulshrestha

Annual statement on compliance with IPC practice

Summarising:

• Any infection transmission incidents and actions taken place.
• IPC audits undertaken and subsequent actions implemented
• Risk assessments undertaken and any actions taken for prevention and control of infection
• Details of staff training
• Any review/update of IPC policies and procedures

Infection transmission incidents

IPC audits and actions

The practice underwent a Minor Surgery audit as per the requirement set out in the Directed Enhanced Service (DES) contract for 2025/26 on the 11/12/25, the current compliance rate is 71%. An action plan has been for area on improvement. Abigail Colvin (Senior Infection Prevention and Control Nurse) will revisit in 6-8 weeks to check on the progress and review.

Risk assessments

Screening patients for signs and symptoms of infection on arrival – as reception are the first to make contact with patients, a Reception Protocol: Managing Patients with Possible Infectious Illness has been created. This will help reception identify and safely manage patients who may have a contagious infection, reducing the risk of spread to other patients and staff.

Posters in reception advising if patients have cold/flu like symptoms to wear a mask.

A designated isolation area should be created incase of a situation where a patient is presenting with infectious illness to stop them from sitting with other patients – this has been highlighted to management and a screen separator to be ordered to segregate a corner of the waiting room.

Staff training

Currently, 16% of staff are not up to date with their mandatory Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) training. All non-compliant staff have been notified and asked to complete the required training, with the option to request protected time if needed. All new staff receive an IPC induction as part of their onboarding at Barrack Lane, as this is essential to protect patients, staff, and visitors, and to ensure safe, consistent care from day one. The induction pack includes a designated section for sign-off by the IPC lead to confirm compliance. This process also provides new staff with the opportunity to ask questions and reinforces the importance of IPC as a shared responsibility for everyone.

Zoe Bernard completed IPC training 09/24 and regularly stays up to date by reading updates from https://www.infectionpreventioncontrol.co.uk/ and keeping contact with the senior IPC community team.

Emma Waugh is yet to complete any official training however she is up to date with her IPC eLearning and is waiting for a IPC course to come available.

IPC policies

The IPC policies have been updated and are in line with current national infection prevention guidelines. All can be found on TeamNet.

Antimicrobial prescribing and stewardship

Plans for 2026

Complete action plan to get a higher score for the Minor Surgery audit as per the requirement set out in the Directed Enhanced Service (DES) contract for 2025/26 on the 11/12/25, the current compliance rate is 71%. We are confident that we can rise this percentage to 85%.

Published: Dec 30, 2025