Topics
1. What Do IPC Teams Do?
The IPC team works collaboratively across the organisation to promote best practice, provide assurance through surveillance and audit, respond to incidents and outbreaks, and support continuous learning and improvement. By working together, we can reduce avoidable harm, meet national standards, and protect those who use and deliver our services..
2. Why Are IPC Teams Needed?
Regulatory & Quality Requirements
In England, infection prevention and control (IPC) is a statutory and regulatory requirement, not an optional function. NHS England mandates the delivery of evidence‑based IPC practice through the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual and the Board Assurance Framework, requiring organisations to demonstrate effective leadership, robust surveillance systems, a competent workforce, and a culture of continuous improvement.
This requirement is underpinned by the Health and Social Care Act 2008 Regulations, which place a legal duty on providers to protect people from harm and avoidable infection. In particular, providers must ensure safe care and treatment, maintain systems to assess, monitor, and mitigate the risk of infection, and operate effective governance arrangements to ensure compliance with these duties. Dedicated IPC teams are integral to meeting these regulatory obligations, providing the specialist oversight, assurance, and coordination required to manage infection risks effectively.
Similarly, NICE guidance consistently identifies IPC as a core component of patient safety, quality of care, and organisational governance, reinforcing the need for structured IPC leadership and expertise. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) further embeds this expectation within its regulatory framework, assessing services against the Safe and Well‑led key lines of enquiry. This includes scrutiny of how organisations identify, prevent, and control infections; how learning is used to drive improvement; and whether there is clear professional leadership and accountability for IPC. Effective IPC teams therefore provide essential evidence of compliance, assurance, and continuous improvement required to meet both legal and regulatory standards.
Persistent Burden of Infection
IPC teams exist because infection remains an inherent risk of healthcare. UKHSA surveillance demonstrates that HCAIs continue to affect a significant proportion of patients across acute, community and specialist settings, with particular impact in intensive care and high‑risk populations. These infections cause avoidable harm, prolong hospital stay and increase demand on already pressured services.
Increasing complexity of care
Modern healthcare involves:
- Older, more vulnerable patients
- Increased use of invasive devices and complex procedures
- Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
- Emerging and re‑emerging infections
WHO highlights that without strong IPC programmes, health systems cannot safely deliver care or respond to outbreaks and pandemics.
3. IPC Team – Myths & Facts
❌ Myth: Infection control is the IPC team’s job
✅ Fact: Infection prevention is everyone’s responsibility. The IPC team supports and advises, but safe practice happens at the bedside, every day, by all staff.
❌ Myth: All bacteria are airborne, so masks are always needed
✅ Fact: Most bacteria are NOT airborne.
- Most infections spread via hands, surfaces, or equipment (contact transmission).
- Masks are only required for specific infections and risks.
- Wearing masks when they’re not indicated does not add protection and can increase risk if it replaces hand hygiene.
❌ Myth: More PPE = safer care
✅ Fact: Right PPE, right task, right time.
- Incorrect or unnecessary PPE can spread infection.
- Hand hygiene remains the most important IPC measure.
❌ Myth: IPC are the “infection police” who just close beds
✅ Fact: IPC teams are patient‑safety specialists, not enforcers. They provide expert advice, surveillance, education, and outbreak support to keep patients and staff safe.
❌ Myth: IPC advice keeps changing
✅ Fact: IPC advice is risk‑based, not rigid. Guidance depends on symptoms, transmission route, current risk, and patient vulnerability. Early IPC involvement prevents escalation and disruption.
❌ Myth: Cleaning is the domestic team’s responsibility
✅ Fact: Cleaning is shared responsibility.
- Domestics clean the environment
- Staff clean shared clinical equipment. If you use it, you clean it.
❌ Myth: IPC guidance is optional
✅ Fact: IPC is a legal and safety requirement. Preventing infection is part of safe care and protects patients, staff, and hospital flow.
