CareHomeDeskCareHomeDeskHow the care home environment contributes to infection risk and what the IPC framework requires of the building.
Infection prevention and control (IPC) is not just about hand hygiene and PPE -- the physical environment is a significant determinant of infection risk in care homes. Key environmental factors include: adequacy of single room provision for isolating infectious residents, access to handwashing facilities throughout the building, ventilation in bathrooms, sluice rooms and clinical areas, surface finishes that can be cleaned to the required standard, and safe storage of clinical waste.
IPC guidance requires that handwashing facilities (not hand sanitiser alone) are accessible throughout the care home. HTM 64 (Sanitary Assemblies) guidance should be used when specifying sinks in clinical and care areas -- clinical handwash sinks with wrist-operated or elbow-operated taps, without overflows, and with clinical-grade worktops and splash-backs. Domestic-style bathroom sinks are not appropriate for clinical handwashing.
Adequate ventilation reduces the concentration of airborne pathogens. Bathrooms and ensuites should have mechanical extract ventilation at rates specified in BS 5720 and Part F of the Building Regulations. Sluice rooms require enhanced extract ventilation to prevent malodour migration. Following COVID-19, there is heightened awareness of the value of good ventilation in communal areas -- consider CO2 monitoring to provide objective data on ventilation adequacy.
All surface finishes in clinical and care areas (including resident bedrooms where personal care is delivered) must be cleanable to the required standard. This means: impervious, non-porous surfaces in bathrooms and sluice rooms; seamless flooring or flooring with minimal joins; no soft furnishings in areas where MRSA or Clostridioides difficile risk is present; and wall paint that can withstand repeated cleaning with chlorine-based disinfectants without degrading.
CareHomeDesk gives you compliance checklists, maintenance logs, and contractor management tools built around exactly this kind of knowledge.