How we work to keep you safe from infection

Lynn Kelly (Lead Infection Prevention and Control Nurse) and Hannah Medforth (Infection Prevention and Control Nurse) are both part of the IPC team at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust.
They talk about their role and how their key priorities are to promote a safe environment for patients, staff and visitors, the impact that norovirus and respiratory illnesses can have on hospitals during the winter months and what you can do to keep yourself and your loved ones safe.
Lynn has been an infection prevention and control (IPC) nurse for over 25 years. The first ever IPC nurse was appointed at Torbay Hospital in 1959 and Lynn feels proud to have been able to continue to develop this role and the team she leads, especially during some of the most unprecedented times over the last few years. Hannah joined the team just over a year ago and is studying to become an IPC nurse specialist.
Infection prevention and control is an exciting role which is very vast and multifaceted. We are committed and work hard to ensure that our patients receive the highest standards of healthcare. It is a challenging role and covers many areas. We are responsible for preventing and reducing infections across our hospitals, healthcare settings and in our communities. Our specialist team of nurses and practitioners work to support and advise colleagues across NHS care providers, including the hospital setting, community hospitals, GP surgeries and nursing/care homes in South Devon.
As well as providing advice on the management of individual patients with infections, we manage outbreaks of infections, and have a robust system for the monitoring and surveillance of infections. We also provide specialist education and training for all staff, as well as patients and families.
We are also involved in so many other areas, which all contribute to the safety of our patients, staff and visitors, such as building projects, water safety, ventilation, waste management. It is safe to say that no two days are the same, working in infection prevention and control.
From time to time, we also run campaigns to highlight and promote good practice, such as hand hygiene. One of our current campaigns and a topic that we feel strongly about is the use of gloves in our organisation. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, members of the public became familiar with the term ‘personal protective equipment’ (PPE) and the important role this plays in preventing infections.
However, hospitals across the country have been working on reducing the amount, of gloves we use, as this has increased dramatically since 2020. Gloves can often be a barrier to safe care by being used unnecessarily, when we know how effective hand washing is in preventing infection. Intact skin is a protective barrier and good hygiene is the best way to stop the spread of infections.
Recently, it has been great to get out across the organisation and speak to our colleagues about appropriate situations to wear gloves and how, by reducing usage, we can provide safer care and assist in the greener planet project. You may see less gloves being used when you come into hospital but this being done for the safety of our patients as well as the environment and future generations.
Winter can be a challenging time for our hospitals. While we try to isolate patients in our care with infections, such as norovirus, COVID-19 and flu, there can be outbreaks at times. When this happens, restrictions are put in place to ensure that patients, staff and visitors are kept safe. Please help us by not visiting the hospital if you have any COVID-19 or flu-like symptoms. Norovirus can spread quickly, so If you have any symptoms of diarrhoea or vomiting, please wait until at least 48 hours after your symptoms have stopped before visiting the hospital.
This can help us to stop the spread of infections. The effects on our services during outbreaks of infections can have a negative impact on the flow of people through our hospital services. The measures we put in place, such as closing wards, often means that we can’t move people to the most appropriate department freely or get people who are ready to go home quickly. This then has a knock-on effect on the speed in which we can admit people from our emergency department who need urgent inpatient care.
There are lots of measures that people can take to reduce the spread of infections in our communities. Washing your hands frequently with soap and water is the most effective way of keeping well and reducing the spread. This is especially important after going to the toilet or before preparing food.
For protection against COVID-19 and flu, we would encourage all those eligible to take up the opportunity to receive their seasonal vaccinations. This year’s campaign opened earlier this month for those entitled to receive both seasonal vaccinations.
People eligible for the vaccine include adults over 65 years old, people with certain health conditions and those in long-stay residential care. For a full list and appointment information, please visit www.nhs.uk and search for flu and COVID-19 vaccinations.