Infection Prevention and Control
Level 4
Torbay Hospital
Lowes Bridge
Torquay
TQ2 7AA
Direct line contact numbers (Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm).
Tel: 01803 655757 – Infection Prevention and Control Team
Tel: 01803 654990 – Consultant Microbiologist/Infection Control Doctor
Email: Infection Prevention and Control Team
What we do
The Infection Prevention and Control Team provides a broad range of specialist advice and services for Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust staff.
Infection prevention and control pledge:
- We will continue to monitor and advise on Infection Prevention and Control to reduce the risks of patients developing healthcare acquired infections.
- We will undertake investigations on patients that have developed infections ensuring that any learning is disseminated to the correct people and that we continue to learn and improve.
- We will remain transparent and open with members of the public, patients and staff by ensuring information is available on the website.
- We will ensure that any learning or recommendations are available and shared.
- We will support staff in a continuously busy environment to ensure that patient safety is sustainable by being pragmatic.
MRSA, C-DIFF and Norovirus
Staff continually performs infection prevention and control measures which help reduce the chances of infections such as Meticillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), Clostridium Difficile (CDIFF) and Norovirus spreading in the hospital.
This is supported by the World Health Organisation’s Five Moments for Hand Hygiene which informs staff when they should wash their hands.
How you can help
- All patients are given hand wipes to use before eating their meals and those patients who cannot get up to wash their hands after using the toilet / commode are given antibacterial wipes, a practice we aim to encourage.
- All relatives, carers and visitors are asked to wash their hands on entering wards and to use the alcohol hand rub at the main entrance.
Your 5 moments for hand hygiene
- Before touching a patient
- When? Clean your hands before touching a patient when approaching him/her.
- Why? To protect the patient against harmful germs carried on your hands.
- Before clean / aseptic procedure
- When? Clean your hands immediately before performing a clean/aseptic procedure.
- Why? To protect the patient against harmful germs, including the patient’s own, from entering his/her body.
- After body fluid exposure risk
- When? Clean your hands immediately after an exposure risk to body fluids (and after glove removal).
- Why? To protect yourself and the health-care environment from harmful patient germs.
- After touching a patient
- When? Clean your hands after touching a patient and her/his immediate surroundings, when leaving the patient’s side.
- Why? To protect yourself and the health-care environment from harmful patient germs.
- After touching patient surroundings
- When? Clean your hands after touching any object or furniture in the patient’s immediate surroundings, when leaving – even if the patient has not been touched.
- Why? To protect yourself and the health-care environment from harmful patient germs.
Monitoring patient care
As part of the Infection Prevention and Control Team’s day-to-day activity in reducing healthcare associated infections, they undertake daily visits to the clinical areas advising on any infection control issues. Hand hygiene, urinary catheters and intravenous catheters are monitored for good practice on a monthly basis. The team also gives advice on a range of procedures such as the thorough cleaning and decontamination of ward equipment as well as sterile procedures in theatres and outbreak management.
Patient information leaflets
Should you have an infection, the following leaflets are available to give you information on the particular infection and how best to manage it.
If you have any feedback or questions, then please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.