Safety
Infection Prevention & Control
Version 1.0 · draft for approval
Standard infection control precautions for working across multiple homes: hands, PPE, spills, laundry and when you are infectious yourself.
Draft for approval — awaiting formal adoption by the registered manager; not yet in force.
Why it matters in home care
We move between the homes of people whose age or health makes infection dangerous. Standard infection control precautions apply on every visit, to every person, whether or not anyone seems unwell.
Every visit
- Hand hygiene is the single most effective protection: wash or gel on arrival, before and after personal care, before handling food, after gloves, and on leaving. Bare below the elbows during care tasks.
- Use PPE from your kit as the task requires — gloves and apron for personal care and body fluids; change between tasks and between clients. Never reuse single-use items.
- Deal with spills of body fluids promptly using the client's cleaning materials and gloves; bag soiled waste as the support plan directs.
- Handle soiled laundry with gloves, wash separately at the highest safe temperature; don't carry it against your clothing.
- Follow food hygiene basics whenever you prepare food: clean hands and surfaces, check dates, store correctly, cook thoroughly.
When you are unwell
- Do not work with vomiting or diarrhoea — stay off until 48 hours after the last episode. Report sickness by phone per the Sickness & Absence policy.
- Tell your manager about infectious conditions (flu, COVID-19, shingles, infected wounds) before attending visits — we will decide together what is safe.
- Cover cuts on your hands with a waterproof dressing.