Published on: 21 May 2023

A new National Infection Prevention and Control manual (NIPCM) has now replaced some of our Trust policies and guidance.  

The manual is used across England and contains important precautions to help ensure safety of those being cared for as well as staff and visitors. These precautions can help reduce the risk of infection and should be applied in all care settings (including acute, community and social care). 

The manual aims to: 

  • Make it easy for healthcare staff to apply effective infection prevention and control (IPC) precautions 
  • Reduce variation and optimise infection prevention and control practices throughout England 
  • Help reduce the risk of healthcare associated infection (HCAI) 
  • Help align practice, monitoring, quality improvement

 Following review, the manual has replaced the following Trust procedures: 

  • Hand Hygiene  
  • Linen Handling and Laundry

The manual is available via the IPC page here on the Trust intranet. It should be used to complement specific trust policies and guidance.  

Our IPC team will be out and about this week across Trust sites to speak to colleagues about the NIPCM and what the changes mean for you.

  • Monday 15 May - STDH and SRH (all inpatient and outpatient areas)
  • Tuesday 16 May - STDH and SRH (stalls in main entrances)
  • Thursday 18 May - DTC and SEI

You can find out important updates in the sections below, and you can access the manual via the IPC page here.

For further details, please contact the IPC team at: stsft.ipc.team@nhs.net 

IMPORTANT UPDATE - AEROSOL GENERATING PROCEDURES (AGPS)

There has been a further review of medical procedures that are considered to be aerosol generating, associated with an increased risk of respiratory transmission.  

Updated list below: 

  • Awake* bronchoscopy (including awake tracheal intubation) 
  • Awake* ear, nose, and throat (ENT) airway procedures that involve respiratory suctioning 
  • Awake* upper gastro-intestinal endoscopy 
  • Dental procedures (using high speed or high frequency devices, for example ultrasonic scalers/high speed drills) 
  • Induction of sputum 
  • Respiratory tract suctioning** 
  • surgery or post-mortem procedures (like high speed cutting / drilling) likely to produce aerosol from the respiratory tract (upper or lower) or sinuses 
  • tracheostomy procedures (insertion or removal)

*Awake including ‘conscious’ sedation (excluding anaesthetised patients with secured airway). 

**Only open suctioning beyond the oro-pharynx, oral/pharyngeal suctioning is not an AGP 

Please note the following will be removed:

  • Intubation, extubation, manual ventilation 
  • NIV, CPAP 
  • HFOV, AIRVO and other high flow oxygen 
  • CPR 

As always staff are able to wear enhanced PPE if they have a personal wish to. 

IMPORTANCE OF ‘IPC PRECAUTIONS’

Standard infection control precautions may be insufficient to prevent cross transmission of specific infectious agents. Additional precautions called “transmission based precautions” (TBP) may be required when caring for patients with known/suspected infection or colonisation. 

CONTACT PRECAUTIONS Used to prevent and control infections that spread via direct contact with the patient or indirectly from the patient’s immediate care environment (including care equipment). This is the most common route of cross-infection transmission.
DROPLET PRECAUTIONS  Measures used to prevent, and control infections spread over short distances (at least 1 metre) via droplets from the respiratory tract of one individual directly onto a mucosal surface or conjunctivae of another individual. Droplets penetrate the respiratory system to above the alveolar level. 
AIRBORNE PRECAUTIONS Measures used to prevent, and control infection spread without necessarily having close patient contact via aerosols from the respiratory tract of one individual onto a mucosal surface or conjunctivae of another individual. Aerosols can penetrate the respiratory system to the alveolar level. 

*Refer to the NIPCM for England for organism specific advice 

Click here to find out important information about these changes from our IPC colleagues.

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