Policy

The Department of Health Code of Practice for health and adult social care on the prevention and control of infections makes clear the requirements for infection prevention and control within health and social services and enables regulators to measure compliance with the code.

Criteria six of the code states that employers must ensure that all staff and those employed to provide care in all settings are fully involved in the process of preventing and controlling infection. Criteria ten of the code states that they must also ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that care workers are free of and are protected from exposure to infections that can be caught at work and that all staff are suitably educated in the prevention and control of infection associated with the provision of health and social care.

Personal protective equipment is intended to be worn to protect a person against risks to their health and that which may compromise their safety or that of the customer(s).

The Care Worker Agency recognises the importance all employees have to play in maintaining or improving customer and staff safety by operating a strict policy in the use of personal protective equipment (PPE’s) which mostly comprises of disposable gloves and aprons.

Many body secretions are a major source of infection. The use of personal

protective equipment will safeguard both the care worker and the service user from passing infection between them. Staff carrying out tasks that may result in contamination from blood/other body fluids are required to use PPE’s because:

· They prevent clothing from becoming contaminated with pathogenic micro-organisms which may subsequently be transferred to other customers

·     Prevents clothing becoming soiled, wet or stained during the course of their duties

·    Prevent the transfer of potentially pathogenic microorganisms from staff to customers

·         Prevent/reduce the risk of staff acquiring an infection from a customer

Procedure

• PPE’s are provided free of charge by The Care Worker Agency to the employee and employees should always wear gloves, aprons and masks when there is a possibility that they may come into contact with blood or other bodily fluids.

• Customers (or their representatives) do not have the right to instruct care workers not to use personal protective equipment and any such request should be reported by the employee to the manager. There may be occasions when customers have known allergies e.g. latex and this should be clearly identified on the care plan indicating what PPE’s are to be used in those circumstances. As a company we generally use latex free products to reduce these risks.

• Examples of when gloves and aprons should be worn are: (this list is not exhaustive)

1.   Performing personal care/hygiene needs

2.   Managing continence care

3.   Emptying/changing urinary catheter bags, urinals, bedpans, commodes etc

4.   Assisting with the care of a stoma or urostomy appliance

5.   Contact with wounds, wound exudates, skin lesions or skin rashes

6.   Applying topical lotions, creams etc

7.   Cleaning up any spillages of bodily fluids

8.   Handling specimens e.g. urine or faeces

9.   Aprons should be worn during food preparation

• Employees should make every effort to protect themselves by ensuring that any punctures or scratches on their own skin are protected by a waterproof sticking plaster.  If an employee has a significant wound he/she should discuss this with their manager to ascertain their safety at work.

• All allergies/sensitivities to latex/vinyl should be reported to the manager.

• Protective equipment used by care workers should be disposed of according to local waste disposal guidelines on clinical waste to reduce the risk of cross contamination to other persons. If there is no separate facility for the collection and disposal of clinical waste then all products of personal care should be bagged and tied in an appropriate container and disposed of through normal household waste.

• All staff must report to the care manager any deficits in knowledge related to the use of PPE’s or infection control procedures so further training can be organised.

Managers must:

• ensure that all staff have had education on and understand the principles of infection control and the principles of using PPE’s
• ensure that adequate supplies of PPE’s are always available
• ensure that alternative PPE’s are available for  staff who have known sensitivities/allergies to latex  
• undertake a risk assessment to optimise customer/staff safety prior to care commencing
• ensure the PPE’s are fit for purpose and stored in a clean, dry area off the floor
• support staff in corrective actions or interventions if an incident occurs that may have resulted in cross-contamination
• ensure staff who may have become ill due to occupational exposure are assessed by their General Practitioner
• any incidents where failures in hand hygiene have occurred or where there are product/facilities issues that affect adequate hand hygiene and in turn health and safety should be reported by the care manager according to the incident and accident reporting policy

Practice  

Aprons

Disposable aprons must be worn when exposure to blood or other body fluids might occur e.g. during personal care:

• Aprons are single use and should be removed and discarded once the  task is completed

• Never reuse single use items

Hand Hygiene

Hands are the most common way in which microorganisms are transported and effective hand hygiene is considered the single most important infection control activity which can help reduce the spread of infection.

Choosing, Wearing Gloves

• Staff must ensure they wear the correct size of glove e.g. small, medium or large to ensure they are well fitting and do not interfere with dexterity. Ill fitting gloves can cause friction, excessive sweating and finger and hand muscle fatigue
• Managers must ensure dates/lifespan of gloves are adhered to according to manufacturer's instructions
• Consideration should be given as to the use of disposable, powdered latex gloves as powder is associated with aerosolization and an increase in latex allergies
• Staff with latex allergies must be supplied with a suitable alternative
• Gloves should be applied by holding the wrist end of the glove open with one hand to allow the other hand to enter easily

Changing gloves

• Gloves are single use items only and should never be worn for different tasks, remove as soon as task completed
• Gloves are not a substitute for hand hygiene, this should be performed before gloves are applied and when removed
• Torn, punctured or otherwise damaged gloves should not be used and should be removed immediately (safety permitting)
• Never perform hand washing whilst wearing gloves
• Gloves should never be washed or cleaned using an alcohol based gel (they are single-use items)
• Hand hygiene should be performed in between removing and reapplying gloves
• Remove gloves promptly after use and before any other item is touched, including yourself
• To avoid contamination gloves must be removed with care. Using the wrist end of the glove, pull down gently over the hand, turning the contaminated surface inward so the gloves are then disposed of inside out.

Hand Washing Technique