With flu and respiratory illnesses circulating more quickly this year, our Infection Prevention and Control team have been monitoring the situation and have some guidance on infection prevention and mask wearing.

Please share this information with colleagues as appropriate.

• Our number one priority is to continue to adhere to our routine IPC measures and maintaining good hand hygiene techniques
• Please carry out touch point cleaning three times a day to help stop the spread
• Ensure patients are isolated promptly if a case is suspected
• Masks should be worn in areas where there are outbreaks, cohorted, and isolated patients – i.e. flu wards, bays and side rooms.
• It is important to change masks in line with IPC measures when coming in and out of those areas. This means removing and disposing of your mask when leaving the area, and then putting on a new one when going back in.
• Where there are not established and cohorted flu patients it remains the choice of colleagues whether or not they wear a mask.

The IPC Team meet daily to discuss side room use and stepping down patients. They will be keeping the situation under review and would like to thank you for your support.

Please contact the team if need further advice by emailing IPCT@cht.nhs.uk

You can see the IPC policy in the Policies and Documents Library C-64-2014 IPC Arrangements Policy v13.pdf