Aim of the course

This course aims to provide learners with the knowledge and awareness required to recognise infection risks, interrupt the chain of infection and apply standard infection control precautions during everyday care activities. It supports safer practice while protecting people receiving care, staff, visitors and the wider community.

Scope of the course

The course is designed for healthcare assistants, care workers, support workers, nurses, agency staff, new starters and other people working in health and social care settings. It provides awareness-level knowledge and should be used alongside workplace policies, local procedures, risk assessments, professional responsibilities and role-specific practical training.

Completion of this course does not replace supervised competency assessment where a task requires practical skills.

Topics covered

The course covers:

1. The meaning and importance of infection prevention and control.
2. Common microorganisms and how infections develop.
3. The chain of infection and how transmission can be interrupted.
4. UK legal, regulatory and workplace responsibilities.
5. Standard infection control precautions.
6. Effective hand hygiene and respiratory hygiene.
7. Selection, use and removal of personal protective equipment.
8. Cleaning, disinfection, decontamination and environmental safety.
9. Safe management of shared care equipment.
10. Safe handling of waste, linen, laundry and body-fluid spillages.
11. Prevention of sharps injuries and management of exposure incidents.
12. Recognition of infection signs and increased vulnerability.
13. Outbreak awareness and transmission-based precautions.
14. Reporting, documentation and continuous improvement.

Learning outcomes

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

1. Explain why infection prevention and control is essential in health and social care.
2. Identify common types of microorganisms and understand how they can spread.
3. Describe the links within the chain of infection.
4. Recognise opportunities to interrupt infection transmission.
5. Summarise their own infection-control responsibilities.
6. Demonstrate knowledge of effective hand and respiratory hygiene.
7. Select and use PPE according to risk assessment and workplace procedures.
8. Distinguish between cleaning, disinfection, decontamination and sterilisation.
9. Explain how to manage equipment, waste, linen and spillages safely.
10. Identify infection warning signs and people who may be more vulnerable.
11. Recognise sharps, exposure and outbreak-related risks.
12. Report concerns promptly and complete appropriate documentation.
13. Apply infection prevention principles to realistic workplace situations.