Infection Control Week is an event held every year to educate staff and highlight the work undertaken in local hospitals and community healthcare settings to keep patients and clients safe and free from healthcare associated infections. This page provides links to important citations to provide the best available evidence.

• Infection Control Week - Introduction
• Planning your week
• Challenges
  • Poster contest
  • Slogan contest
  • Quiz/word search puzzle
• Test your handwashing skills
• Exhibitions
• Demonstrations
• Guidance and Best Available Evidence for Community Settings
  • Nursing/Residential homes
  • Schools and Nurseries
  • Primary Care/General PracticePandemic
  • Emergency services/Prison services
  • Dental services
  • Prevention of Infection and Communicable Diseases
  • Practice and Policy
  • Antimicrobials
  • Estates and Facilities
  • Community and Home Hygiene
    • Scientific Evidence Base Reviews
    • Guidelines and Training Resources
    • Briefing documents and Practice, Advice sheets/leaflets
  • Leaflets
  • Posters
  • Working across organisational boundaries and in the wider community/Professional Development
    • England
    • Scotland
    • Wales
    • Northern Ireland
  • Useful Links

• A cluster of hepatitis B infections associated with incorrect use of a capillary blood sampling device in a nursing home in the Netherlands, 2007
• Infection control strategies for preventing the transmission of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in nursing homes for older people
• Infection Control Guidelines for Care Homes: The prevention and control of healthcare associated infection in care homes (Wales)
• Infection Control in Residential & Nursing Homes
• Enteral Feeding - Infection Control Guidelines

• PL/CMO/2008/5: The MMR vaccination catch-up programme
• Guidance on Infection Control in Schools and other Child Care Settings
• Feverish illness in children: Assessment and initial management in children younger than 5 years
• Immunisation schedule

• Seasonal Influenza Programme 2008/09
• Infection Control Guidance for General Practice
• Primary and Social Care Premises: Planning and Design Guidance
• Decontamination of re-usable medical devices in the primary, secondary and tertiary care sectors (NHS and Independent providers) 2007 clarification and policy summary (DH)
• Hepatitis C Quick reference guide for primary care
• Pandemic flu guidance for cleaning staff and refuse collectors in non-health care settings What you need to know and how to protect yourself and others
• Pandemic flu guidance for funeral directors What you need to know and how to protect yourself and others
• Pandemic influenza: guidance on preparing mental health services in England
• Competencies: an integrated career and competency framework for nurses in travel health medicine

• Pandemic flu guidance for the Police Service What you need to know and how to protect yourself and others
• Pandemic flu guidance for the Fire and Rescue Service What you need to know and how to protect yourself and others
• Ambulance Guidelines: Reducing infection through effective practice in the pre-hospital environment
• Prison Health Partnership Survey 2006: Final Report
• CBRN Incidents: A Guide to Clinical Management and Health Protection

• Primary care dental services: guidance on single-use instuments for endodontic procedures (DH)
• Advice for dentists on re-use of endodontic instruments and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) (DH)
• Letter to the Chief Executive of the British Dental Association about infection control guidance and vCJD (DH)

• Guidance on the diagnosis and management of PVL-associated Staphylococcus aureus infections (PVL-SA) in England
• Tick-borne encephalitis in Europe and beyond – the epidemiological situation as of 2007
• The surveillance of communicable diseases in the European Union – a long-term strategy (2008-2013)
• Multiple exposures during a norovirus outbreak on a river-cruise sailing through Europe, 2006
• Towards Universal Access: Scaling up priority HIV/AIDS interventions in the health sector. Progress Report 2008
• Tuberculosis and Air Travel: Guidelines for Prevention and Control (Third Edition)
• Introduction of Human Papillomavirus Vaccine into the national immunisation programme PL CMO (2008)4, PL CNO (2008)3, PL CPHO (2008)2
• Management of invasive meningococcal disease in children and young people: A National Clinical Guideline (Scotland)
• Update on 1997 Report of the Working party on the prevention of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C and sexually transmitted diseases
• Travel safe: reducing the risk of getting a blood-borne infection when you're abroad
• Emerging high-level mupirocin resistance among MRSA isolates in Ireland
• PL CMO (2008)3, PL CNO (2008)2, PL CPHO (2008)1: The influenza immunisation programme 2008/09
• Health effects of climate change in the UK 2008: an update of the Department of Health report 2001/2002
• Management of outbreaks of foodborne illness in England and Wales
• National target to reduce Clostridium difficile infection: SHA envelopes – Reissue
• Pandemic flu guidance for the hospitality industry What you need to know and how to protect yourself and others
• Malaria - Algorithm for Initial Assessment and Management in Adults (BIS & HPA)
• WHO - International Travel and Health (2008 Edition)
• Tuberculosis prevention and treatment: a toolkit for planning, commissioning and delivering high-quality services in England
• Guidance for the Management of Norovirus Infection in Cruise Ships
• Health activity relating to people at ports, airports and international train stations in England (DH)

• Clean, safe care: Reducing infections and saving lives
• Going Further Faster II: applying the learning to reduce HCAI and improve cleanliness
• Board to Ward how to embed a culture of HCAI prevention in acute trusts
• PL CMO (2007)8: Healthcare associated infections and death certification
• Essential steps to safe, clean care: reducing healthcare-associated infections
• Hand Hygiene Policy and Procedure: Literature Review (Scotland)
• Preventing Infection in post-anaesthesia care units. Guidance for healthcare staff
• Catheter Care: RCN Guidance for nurses
• Learning from investigations
• Hand Cleaning Techniques - New procedural poster
• ICNA Audit Tool for Monitoring Infection Control Standards in Community Settings
• Infection Control Training Material
• Reducing the risk of chronic wound-related bloodstream infections: A summary of best practice

• The Scottish Management of Antimicrobial Resistance action Plan 2008
• Antibiotic Campaign 2007 - 2008
• Antimicrobial Resistance and Prescribing in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2008

• Safe Management of Healthcare Waste
• Management of Spa Pools - Controlling the Risks of Infection

• The effectiveness of hand hygiene procedures, including handwashing and alcohol-based hand sanitizers, in reducing the risks of infections in home and community settings
• Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Clostridium difficile and ESBL-producing Escherichia coli in the home and community: assessing the problem, controlling the spread. International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene (IFH)
• The Infection Potential in the Domestic Setting and the Role of hygiene Practice in Reducing Infection (IFH)
• Prevention of the spread of infection – the need for a family-centred approach to hygiene promotion
• The changing hygiene climate: a review of infectious disease in the home and community (2008)
• Hygiene Procedures in the Home and their Effectiveness: A Review of the Scientific Evidence Base

• Guidelines for prevention of infection and cross infection the domestic environment. International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene
• Recommendations for selection of suitable hygiene procedures for use in the domestic environment. International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene.
• Guidelines for prevention of infection and cross infection the domestic environment: focus on issues in developing countries. International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene.
• Home Hygiene in Developing Countries: Prevention of Infection in the Home and Peridomestic Setting. A training resource for teachers and community health professionals in developing countries. International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene
• Infection Control Guidelines for Care Homes: The prevention and control of healthcare associated infection in care homes
• Home Hygiene: Prevention of infection in the home. A training resource for carers and their trainers (ICNA/IFH)
• A simple guide to germs and disease (All you ever needed to know about germs in the home - and never had time to find out) International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene (IFH)

• Hand Hygiene in the Home and Community (Briefing document)
• Coping with floods, cleaning up afterwards - and staying healthy (briefing document and hygiene advice)
• Colds, flu and other Respiratory infections (briefing document and hygiene advice)
• Norovirus: infection and infection prevention through hygiene in the home (briefing document and hygiene advice)
• Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and the home (briefing document and hygiene advice)
• Clostridium difficile and the home (briefing document and hygiene advice)
• Extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBLs) and the home (briefing document)
• Look after your cleaning cloths and they will look after you (briefing document and hygiene advice)

• MRSA - Information for patients in hospital (HPA)
• European Antibiotic Awareness Day – Leaflet
• Dirty Bertie storybook leaflet and nursery rhyme
• Catch it, Bin it, Kill it - Respiratory and Hand hygiene Campaign 2007-2008
• Advice for those affected by MRSA outside of hospital
• Glove use (Technical) (The first global patient safety challenge Information sheet 6)
• Patient and public involvement in hand hygiene improvement (Information Sheet 4 - The first global safety challenge)
• Electrolysis, Piercing, Tattooing and Micro-pigmentation
• A simple guide to Clostridium difficile
• Pandemic Flu: Important information for you and your family (DH)
• PVL-associated Staphylococcus aureus – Frequently Asked Questions
• Colds, Flu and other Respiratory Infections
• The prevention and treatment of head lice
• Mind the Germs
• Chickenpox in Pregnancy: What you need to know (RCOG)
• Measles - Factsheet for Schools - Wired for Health. Health Protection Agency (HPA)
• Preventing Meningitis (DH) (27th November 2006)
• Over 65 Make sure you get your pneumo jab

• Guide to best practice: isolation of patients
• Guideline for CDAD treatment medications
• Sample poster: clostridium difficile cleaning schedule - daily cleaning
• Sample poster: clostridium difficile cleaning schedule - terminal deep clean
• Sample poster: infection control department notice to visitors (episodes of diarrhoea)
• The importance of Hand Hygiene “Wet, soap, wash, rinse, dry” Poster DH
• Guide to best practice: isolation of patients
• Coughs and sneezes spread diseases

• ICNA Core Competencies for Practice in Infection Prevention and Control (2nd Edition, Sep. 2004) - available through Fitwise Management Ltd

• The Health Act 2006: Code of Practice for the prevention and control of healthcare associated infection. (Revised version 2008)
• A Development Programme for Infection, Prevention & Control Individuals & Teams
• Director of Infection Prevention & Control Role Profile Document
• Forward Thinking, Future Working: The response to a consultation on the framework specifications for HPA local and regional service provision 2007-2010
• Towards a Framework for Post-registration Nursing Careers (23 July 2008)
• Modernising Nursing Careers: setting the direction - This report was published in 2006 in response to the rapidly changing context in which healthcare and nursing is practised

• The Scottish Patient Safety Programme
• Care Bundles (2008)
• Standard Infection Control Precautions Model Policy
• Transmission Based Model Policies

• Healthcare Associated Infections - A Community Strategy for Wales 2007
• The ‘1000 Lives Campaign’ (Wales)

• Changing the Culture: An Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections in Northern Ireland 2006/2009
• Protecting Patients and Staff: A strategy for Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections in Northern Ireland 2005 –2010

• Clean, Safe Care: reducing Healthcare Associated Infection including MRSA
• Infection Control Manual
• Knowledge and Information Portal. NHS Estates
• BBC News Health
• APIC - Infection Control Guidelines
• Better Hospital Food - Protected Mealtimes
• British Medical Association
• Bugs and Drugs on the web
• Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
• Decontamination website (part of NHS Estates)
• Department of Health
• Department of Health Estates and Facilities Division Knowledge & Information
• Eurosurveillance
• Evidence-based Practice in Infection Control
• Fit for Travel
• Health Protection Agency
• Healthcare A2Z
• Healthcare Commission
• International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene
• Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency
• National electronic Library of Infection
• National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
• National Patient Safety Agency
• National Resource for Infection Control
• National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC)
• NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency
• World Health Organisation