Course Details

CPD REFRESHER · ENGLAND AND WALES

Infection Control and Standard Precautions

A CPD refresher on standard and transmission-based precautions for practitioners already working in health and social care.

TEN MODULES · 20-QUESTION ASSESSMENT · 70% INDICATIVE PASS MARK

CPD HOURS

25 hours

ACCREDITED BY

CPD Standards Office

FORMAT

Blended self-paced

SLIDES

PPT Deck

WATCH

Video Lesson

LISTEN

Audio Podcast

QUIZ

Audio Quiz

VISUAL

Infographic

Overview

Healthcare-associated infection is the most common complication of care and one of the most preventable. UKHSA’s 2023 point prevalence survey found 7.6% of hospital inpatients in England had a healthcare-associated infection on the survey day (8% in acute NHS trusts), and the ESPAUR report for 2024 to 2025 recorded more than 66,000 serious antibiotic-resistant infections and about 2,400 associated deaths in England in 2024. Most transmission happens through ordinary steps done under pressure: a missed hand-hygiene moment, gloves worn between two people, a sharps bin on the floor, an isolation review nobody wrote a date on.

This course is a structured refresher for people who already work in health or social care. It covers the ten standard infection control precautions and the transmission-based precautions layered on top of them, in the order the National IPC Manual presents them: why infection spreads, the law and regulation in England and Wales, hand and respiratory hygiene, PPE, sharps and body fluids, environment and waste, isolation, outbreaks, exposure incidents and staff health, and audit.

Each module closes with an Apply and Reflect task completed in the learner’s own workplace and logged as CPD evidence.

Who this course is for

Assume learners are already in post, have completed an IPC induction, hold or are working towards Care Certificate Standard 15 (England) or All Wales Induction Framework Section 7 (Wales), and have a current IPC competency record with their employer. Not suitable as a first IPC course or as evidence of competence on its own.

▸ Care workers and support workers — a refresher across all ten SICPs with emphasis on hand hygiene, PPE selection, isolation and what to do when two people fall ill

▸ Senior carers, team leaders, IPC links and champions — audit habits, isolation reviews, sharps and environment checks, outbreak first hours and staff support

▸ Registered managers and responsible individuals — the regulatory frame in England and Wales, notification routes, the records inspectors read first, and outbreak governance

▸ Healthcare assistants, nursing associates and nurses — SICPs and TBPs as set out in the NIPCM, exposure management, and the social care interface at transfer

▸ Domestic, facilities and catering staff — cleaning standards, colour coding, waste, and their role in outbreaks

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, learners will be able to:

✓
State the current scale of healthcare-associated infection and antimicrobial resistance in England, with sources, and describe the chain of infection.

✓
Name the principal statutes, regulations, codes and manuals governing IPC in England and in Wales, and state where they differ.

✓
Apply the WHO five moments and correct technique for hand and respiratory hygiene, choosing rub or soap and water appropriately.

✓
Select, don and doff PPE according to a risk assessment of the task, and explain when gloves and respirators are and are not indicated.

✓
Handle sharps and body fluids safely under the Sharps Regulations 2013 and COSHH.

✓
Decontaminate equipment, maintain the care environment, manage linen and spillages, and segregate waste correctly.

✓
Apply contact, droplet and airborne precautions and manage isolation proportionately and humanely.

✓
Recognise a suspected outbreak, take the first-hour actions and work with the Health Protection Team.

✓
Respond to an exposure incident with first aid, same-day escalation and correct reporting, and describe employer occupational-health duties.

✓
Take part in IPC audit and assurance, and keep personal practice current.

Career path

IPC competence is a baseline for every care and clinical role and a route into specialist practice. This course supports, but does not by itself deliver, the following steps.

▸ Care / support worker / HCA — whole-course refresher; hand hygiene, PPE and sharps modules

▸ Senior carer / IPC link or champion — Modules 6–8 and 10: audit habits, outbreak actions, assurance

▸ Team leader / deputy manager — Modules 2, 8, 9 and 10: regulation, outbreaks, exposure pathways, audit cycle

▸ Registered manager / responsible individual — the regulatory map for England and Wales; evidence inspectors look for

Related routes such as IPC link nurse, IPC practitioner (Infection Prevention Society), health protection practitioner or decontamination lead can draw on this course for CPD evidence and reflective log entries. Qualifications and registration requirements are set by awarding organisations and, in Wales, by Social Care Wales — this is CPD, not a licence, registration or clinical authority.

Course structure

1
Why Infection Prevention Matters and How Infection Spreads

2
Law, Regulation and Guidance in England and Wales

3
Hand Hygiene and Respiratory Hygiene

4
Personal Protective Equipment

5
Sharps Safety and Safe Practice with Body Fluids

6
Environment, Equipment, Linen, Spillages and Waste

7
Transmission-Based Precautions and Isolation

8
Outbreak Recognition and Management

9
Exposure Incidents, Occupational Health and Staff Wellbeing

10
Audit, Assurance and Keeping Practice Current

Each module closes with an Apply and Reflect task completed in the learner’s own workplace. A practitioner-support note precedes Module 9, plus a 20-question assessment with a trainer-only answer key.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Does completing this course make me competent in infection control?

No. It is evidence of learning. Competence is shown by observed practice and your employer’s competency record; FFP3 fit testing, aseptic technique and outbreak leadership all need specific training.

Q. Is the course accredited, and does it carry CPD points?

The provider decides whether to seek endorsement or accreditation and what CPD hours or points to attach. Nothing here should be described as accredited until confirmed.

Q. Which country is it for?

England and Wales. Where the two differ — regulator, regulations, candour duty, controlled drug reporting — the slides say so. Scotland and Northern Ireland are not covered.

Q. Is it suitable for nurses and other registrants?

As CPD, yes. It does not replace employer mandatory training or NMC/HCPC requirements, and it does not teach clinical skills such as cannulation or fit testing.

Q. Can it be delivered online?

Yes — the deck works for face-to-face or virtual delivery. The Apply and Reflect tasks assume access to a workplace and its records.

Q. What if my policy says something different from a slide?

At work, your policy governs the process. If your policy is less strict than national guidance, raise it with your manager; if a slide seems out of date, check the named source.

Q. Does the course cover what to do after a needlestick or an outbreak death?

Yes, at the level a practitioner needs: first aid, escalation, reporting and support. It does not teach clinical assessment or prophylaxis, and a support note precedes that module.

Q. How long is the certificate valid?

That is for the provider to state. Many employers require IPC refresher training annually and re-assessment after incidents or long absence — check your policy.

INFECTION CONTROL AND STANDARD PRECAUTIONS · 25 CPD HOURS · ACCREDITED BY CPD STANDARDS OFFICE · TEN MODULES

£25.00

Course Features

Lectures 13
Quizzes 2
Duration Lifetime access
Skill level All levels
Language English
Students 2
Certificate Yes
Assessments Self