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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

TitleDate published
Blood borne virus testing
5 May 2016
Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE): I am colonised / have an infection - what does this mean?
9 Dec 2022
Chlorhexidine Wipes Patient Bathing on Allerton and Turner Wards
9 Jul 2021
Clostridium Difficile Diarrhoea: The facts about
12 Feb 2021
Daily Chlorhexadine Showering on Allerton and Turner Wards
16 Jul 2021
ESBLs
19 Aug 2022
Face Mask Wearer, Information for
4 Oct 2024
Facts about Glycopeptide Resistant Enterococci (GRE) Infection
29 Jul 2022
Hand Hygiene
12 Jul 2024
Hand Hygiene: The facts about
20 Oct 2017
Intentional Rounding (SSKIN Care Bundle, Comfort Rounding)
5 Jun 2017
Isolation: The facts about
24 May 2019
Legionella / Legionnaires' Disease
24 Mar 2023
Meticillin Sensitive Staphlococcus Aureus (MSSA), the facts about
22 Sep 2017
MRSA and Meticillin Sensitive Staphlococcus Aureus (MSSA) Suppression Therapy Programme for Patients
4 Jan 2018
MRSA screening for emergency admissions
19 Aug 2022
MRSA Screening for planned admissions
14 Jul 2023
MRSA: The facts about
19 Aug 2022
Norovirus: The facts about
19 Aug 2022
Panton Valente Leucocidin Staphylococcus aureus producers (PVLs): Patient information about
1 Oct 2018
Seasonal Influenza 'flu' - Patient Information for areas affected by 'flu'
19 Aug 2022
Staphylococcus aureus screening for planned admissions
12 Feb 2021
Visiting our hospital for an Outpatient appointment
19 Aug 2022
Your Intravenous Cannula (Venflon)
21 Sep 2018

If you have any feedback or questions, then please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.