Welcome

About this course

Infection prevention in pharmacy covers everyday practices and systems that reduce risk to staff, patients, medicines, equipment, and the environment. This includes hand hygiene, keeping work surfaces clean, correctly decontaminating reusable equipment, safe handling of waste and returns, appropriate use of PPE, and clear assignment of cleaning duties.

This course is for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, dispensers, medicines counter assistants, delivery staff where relevant to their role, managers, and other team members involved in patient-facing work, dispensing, cleaning, equipment use, or handling returns and waste.

The content is based mainly on current England guidance, particularly the National infection prevention and control manual (NIPCM) for England.

If you work in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland, the core infection prevention principles are similar, but follow your own national IPC manual, local SOPs, employer guidance, and any service-specific requirements. Scotland and Wales use their own NIPCM arrangements, and Northern Ireland has a Regional Infection Prevention and Control Manual.

Why This Course Matters

• High-touch surfaces are common: counters, keyboards, baskets, phones, terminals, chairs, consultation rooms, fridge handles, and blood pressure equipment can transmit contamination if not cleaned effectively.
• Glove use can be misunderstood: overuse, wearing gloves between tasks, or using them instead of hand hygiene may increase contamination risk.
• Cleaning needs clear processes: without schedules, defined responsibilities, and records, tasks are missed or duplicated.
• Clinical services add equipment risks: reusable devices such as blood pressure monitors must be cleaned according to manufacturer instructions and local IPC guidance.
• Returns, spillages, and outbreaks require extra measures: these situations can disrupt normal workflows and raise risk to staff and patients.

How This Course Will Help You

By the end of this course you should be able to apply standard infection prevention precautions in pharmacy practice, clean and decontaminate routine areas and equipment safely, use PPE appropriately, reduce cross-contamination on the dispensing bench, and manage returns, spillages, occupational exposures, and outbreak-related pressures with greater confidence.