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Infection control: a close up look at award-winning ways

9 mins read Hand hygiene
Cwmbran Dental Care was named our Infection Prevention and Control Practice of the Year for 2018. Here, dental nurse Justine Nuzzo and co-principal and infection control lead Ruth Collis share their practice protocols

Infection control is the prevention of diseases caused by microorganisms. In general practice, the organisms we are mainly concerned with are: -

By adopting good infection control procedures, we safeguard our staff, patients and visitors within the practice, along with laboratory technicians working remotely. The Department of Health published the Health and Social Care Act code of practice in July 2015, which is the legal benchmark used by CQC and HIW, but more specific guidelines exist for dental practices in the form of HTM 01-05 and WHTM 01-05 in Wales.

Hand hygiene

This is the cornerstone of prevention, as our hands touch so many surfaces throughout our working day, transmitting microorganisms. Training in hand hygiene should be part of the induction for new staff and ongoing documented training for existing staff. Protocols should emphasise the importance of:

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