Unit 342 Supporting infection prevention and control in adult care

This unit focuses on supporting infection prevention and control in adult care, including how infections spread, how to break the chain of infection, and how to apply policies and guidance in different settings. The links on this page cover each learning outcome, while this overview helps you understand the day-to-day habits and judgement that keep people safe.

Infection prevention is everyone’s responsibility. In care settings, people may be more vulnerable because of age, long-term conditions, wounds, invasive devices, or reduced immunity. Infections can spread quickly where people live or spend time together, so consistent practice matters. It is not only about following rules; it is about protecting individuals, colleagues and visitors through safe routines.

You will explore how infections spread, including direct contact, droplets, airborne transmission in some circumstances, and contact with contaminated surfaces or equipment. Understanding the “chain of infection” helps you see where your actions make the biggest difference: hand hygiene, environmental cleaning, correct use of PPE, safe waste disposal, and good respiratory hygiene. When one link is broken, spread is reduced.

Policies and guidance are applied differently depending on the setting, but the principles remain the same. A care home, supported living service, domiciliary care, and a day centre may have different layouts, equipment and staffing, yet all must manage risks sensibly. Your workplace will have procedures for handwashing, alcohol hand rub use, cleaning schedules, laundry handling, food hygiene, managing body fluids, and reporting suspected infections. Knowing where to find these documents—and how to follow them—is part of competent practice.

Personal hygiene is part of infection control, and support should be delivered with dignity. Encouraging regular handwashing, oral care, bathing, clean clothing and nail care helps reduce risk. The approach should be respectful and person-centred, especially where someone declines support. A calm explanation of why hygiene matters, offering choice about timings, and adapting to sensory preferences can improve engagement without coercion.

Hand hygiene is one of the most effective actions you can take. Follow your setting’s guidance on when to wash with soap and water (for example, when hands are visibly soiled) and when alcohol hand rub is appropriate. Remove jewellery as required, keep nails short, and cover cuts. Good technique matters as much as frequency. It’s a habit that protects everyone, every shift.

PPE is not a substitute for hand hygiene, but it reduces exposure to body fluids and contamination. Use gloves, aprons, masks or eye protection as directed by risk assessment and policy, and remove and dispose of items safely. Avoid touching your face, phone or door handles with contaminated gloves. If you contaminate your uniform, follow the correct procedure for changing and laundering. Clean, safe practice also supports professional confidence—people notice when care is delivered skilfully.

Managing spilled blood or body fluids needs a clear, safe routine. Follow local procedures for cordoning off the area if needed, using appropriate cleaning products, disposing of waste correctly, and reporting incidents. Never improvise with unsuitable products. If you are unsure, ask. It’s better to pause than to create risk.

Equipment can spread infection if it is not cleaned, stored and maintained properly. Learn which items are single-use and which can be cleaned and reused, and follow agreed cleaning schedules. Some devices need special handling (for example, hoists, slings, commodes, pressure-relieving equipment, or shared clinical devices). Cleaning is not “someone else’s job”; it is part of safe care. Storage matters too—clean and dirty items must be separated clearly.

Here’s a practice example: in a domiciliary care visit, you support personal care in a small bathroom with limited space. Planning ahead—bringing only what you need, protecting surfaces, disposing of waste safely, and cleaning touch points—reduces cross-contamination. Another example: in a care home, a shared blood pressure monitor is used between residents; following the cleaning protocol between uses and storing it correctly prevents avoidable spread.

Outbreaks require teamwork and timely communication. You’ll learn how to identify possible outbreaks and how policies change during an outbreak (for example, enhanced cleaning, PPE changes, visitor guidance, isolation or cohorting practices). Good communication with individuals and families should be clear and reassuring, avoiding jargon while explaining what is happening and why. When extra guidance is needed, your setting should know where to obtain it from appropriate bodies and local infection control leads.

Recording and reporting are not paperwork for its own sake. They help the service respond quickly, protect individuals, and meet legal and professional duties. Follow your setting’s processes for reporting suspected infections, incidents, accidents, sharps injuries, or outbreaks. Keep records accurate, timely and confidential, in line with data protection requirements.

As you work through this unit, keep a practical focus: consistent basics, good judgement, and clear communication. Infection prevention is built from small actions repeated well. Done properly, it protects the people you support and strengthens the quality and safety of care every day.

1 Understand how infection prevention and control policies and guidelines can be applied within different settings

2 Be able to support infection prevention and control practices in the work setting

  • 2.1 Minimise risk of infection to self and others in the work setting
  • 2.2 Support individuals to take steps to minimise spread of infection
  • 2.3 Show how own personal hygiene reflects the policies and guidelines of the work setting
  • 2.4 Carry out hand hygiene following work setting policies and guidelines
  • 2.5 Support others to understand their personal and hand hygiene responsibilities in line with policies and guidance for infection prevention and control in the work setting
  • 2.6 Describe how to manage spilled blood and other body fluids in line with policies and guidance
  • 2.7 Use and dispose of personal protective equipment (PPE) in line with policies and guidance
  • 2.8 Dispose of different types of waste safely
  • 2.9 Describe the functions of external bodies in supporting infection prevention and control in the work setting

3 Be able to minimise the risk and spread of infection when using equipment

  • 3.1 Show how equipment is stored and maintained in ways that minimise the spread of infection
  • 3.2 Demonstrate the use of agreed cleaning schedules for equipment in own work setting
  • 3.3 Explain why particular devices need special handling to minimise the spread of infection

4 Understand how to respond to outbreaks of infection in the work setting

  • 4.1 Describe how to work with others to identity infection outbreaks in own work setting
  • 4.2 Explain how to work with others to implement policies and procedures following an infection outbreak
  • 4.3 Describe how to provide sufficient information about outbreaks to individuals and others
  • 4.4 Describe ways to ensure that infection control measures and care is provided to the individual in the most appropriate place
  • 4.5 Explain how to access additional guidance to manage infection prevention and control incidents effectively

5 Be able to follow correct recording and reporting procedures regarding infection prevention and control

  • 5.1 Explain the process for sharing information about infections and suspected infections within own work setting
  • 5.2 Describe processes for reporting accidents and incidents relating to infection prevention and control within own work setting
  • 5.3 Complete records for infection prevention and control in line with policies and guidelines

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