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How Infection Spreads

• Infections spread via hands, body fluids, respiratory droplets, contaminated surfaces, shared equipment, linen and waste.
• Cleaning removes visible contamination; disinfection reduces harmful microbes. Decontamination commonly combines cleaning and disinfection.
• Care homes are shared living settings, so everyday routines can create opportunities for cross-infection if standards slip.

Standard Precautions

• Use standard precautions for everyone at all times because you cannot reliably tell who is infectious.
• They include hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, appropriate PPE, and safe handling of equipment, the environment, linen, waste and spillages.
• Choose PPE for the task and do not wear the same PPE across unrelated care activities.

Cleaning and Decontamination

• Follow clear cleaning schedules, assigned responsibilities, product instructions and COSHH arrangements.
• Decontaminate shared reusable care equipment between residents, after contamination, at defined intervals and before servicing or repair.
• Do not improvise with unlabelled products or unclear methods.

Laundry, Waste, and Spills

• Keep clean linen separate from dirty linen and avoid shaking used linen.
• Segregate waste correctly and do not overfill bags.
• Clean blood or body fluid spillages immediately using the approved local method.
• Do not apply chlorine-releasing agents directly to a urine spill.

Recognising and Escalating Infection Risks

• Residents may show atypical signs of infection such as confusion, reduced intake or sudden deterioration.
• Staff with a respiratory infection who have a high temperature or feel unwell should stay away from work in line with current national and local guidance.
• In England, two or more people in a care home with acute respiratory infection symptoms starting within five days of each other should raise outbreak concern and prompt local escalation. Other UK nations use their own reporting routes.