This course teaches the infection prevention and control practice expected of every healthcare professional in England, based on the NHS England National Infection Prevention and Control Manual. It covers the chain of infection, standard infection control precautions, hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, transmission-based precautions, sharps and exposure management, and recognising and responding to outbreaks.
What you will learn
- Explain the chain of infection and how standard infection control precautions break it.
- Perform hand hygiene correctly, at the right moments, choosing between alcohol-based hand rub and soap and water.
- Select, put on and remove personal protective equipment safely according to a risk assessment.
- Apply transmission-based precautions for contact, droplet and airborne spread, including patient placement.
- Manage a sharps or blood exposure incident and describe how to recognise and respond to a possible outbreak.
Course content
- Why infection prevention matters (2 min)
- Standard infection control precautions and hand hygiene (4 min)
- Personal protective equipment (3 min)
- Transmission-based precautions (4 min)
- Sharps safety and exposure incidents (2 min)
- Recognising and managing outbreaks (4 min)
- Knowledge check (10 questions, 10 min)
- Guided reflection (15 min)
Standards and guidance covered
- NHS England: National Infection Prevention and Control Manual (NIPCM) for England
- Department of Health and Social Care: The Health and Social Care Act 2008: Code of Practice on the prevention and control of infections and related guidance
- Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013
- NICE quality standard QS61 and guideline CG139: Healthcare-associated infections: prevention and control in primary and community care
- GMC: Good Medical Practice (2024); NMC: The Code (2015, updated 2018); HCPC and GPhC standards, including preserving safety
- WHO: Guidelines on hand hygiene in health care (the five moments)
Certificate
Courses are free to study. When you pass the knowledge check (80%) and complete your reflection, you can buy a verified certificate showing your CPD time, with a unique ID and QR code that anyone can check on our verification page.
Study free at your own pace on any device.
Practitioner Insight is an independent education provider. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the GMC, MPTS, NMC, HCPC, GPhC or any NHS organisation, and this information is not legal advice. If you have been referred to a regulator, speak to your defence organisation, trade union or legal representative.