Infection control Policy

Infection prevention and control measures aim to interrupt the cycle of infection by the routine use of good standards of hygiene, and other measures, so that transmission of infection is reduced overall. This is usually through:

• Encouraging and facilitating pupils and staff to participate in routine vaccination programmes
• Encouraging high standards of personal hygiene and practice, particularly good hand washing and cough etiquette
• Making sure the environment is kept clean
• Following a strict protocol for cleaning up spillages of bodily fluids and disposing clinical waste and sharps
• Ensuring staff and pupils who are suffering, or potentially suffering, from infectious diseases do not return to school before the recommended exclusion period for their illness has elapsed

• GDST Common Childhood Ailments Protocol – includes diarrhoea and vomiting
• www.publichealth.hscni.net/sites/default/files/Guidance_on_infection_control_in%20schools_poster.pdf
• PHE Health Protection for Schools – Infection exclusion table
• PHE Health Protection in Schools - Guidance on managing cases of infectious diseases in schools
• Coronavirus/Covid-19 Guidance
• GDST First Aid Policy
• GDST H&S HUB>Pupil Health – Infection Control

Vaccinations

All schools should participate in NHS vaccination programmes for pupils, and arrange seasonal flu vaccinations for staff. All staff, parents and pupils should be encouraged to have the vaccinations at the recommended time.

Every pupil’s vaccination status must be checked at school entry and at the time of any vaccination programmes. If pupils have missed any routine vaccinations, their parents should be encouraged to arrange for missed or further catch-up vaccinations to be administered by their GP.

The national vaccination schedule changes periodically - check the NHS website for up to date details, or contact the school nurse.

Children who present with certain risk factors, may require additional vaccinations.

GDST H&S HUB>Pupil Health – Assessment, Screening and Vaccination

Hygiene

Handwashing is key in reducing the spread of many infectious diseases. Encourage everyone to thoroughly and regularly wash their hands for 20 seconds using soap and warm water, particularly:

• • on arrival at school
  • after using the toilet
  • after coughing / sneezing
  • before eating any food, including snacks
  • after breaks and sporting activities
  • before food preparation

The good hand hygiene video demonstrates how to do this, and there are stage appropriate teaching resources in the PHE / DoE's Guidance for Educational Settings document. If hand washing facilities are not available, hand sanitisers can be used as an alternative.

Many infections are spread through coughs and sneezes. Teaching, practicing and promoting good 'cough etiquette' plays an important role in infection prevention and control. There are key stage appropriate teaching resources in the PHE / DoE's Guidance for Educational Settings document.

Cleaning and Waste Disposal

Regularly cleaning the environment is important to prevent and control the spread of infection. Measures for effective cleaning include:

• Having and implementing a detailed cleaning schedule which specifies the most appropriate cleaning chemicals, dilution rate and contact time and cleaning materials.
• Paying particular attention to frequently touched areas and surfaces, such as key pads / door release buttons, door handles and push plates, handrails and bannisters, wash hand basin taps and toilet flush handles, light switches, keyboards /mice, touch screens, telephones and hand operated dispensers.
• Thoroughly cleaning and ventilating an area occupied by someone with an infectious disease after they have left. Use of household disinfectant and single use / disposable cloths / paper towels will significantly reduce the risk of passing the infection on to other people.
• Everyone who undertakes cleaning tasks should wear disposable gloves and aprons. At the end of the task they should take care taking them off to prevent self-contamination, and dispose of them correctly, then wash hands their hands thoroughly with soap and warm water for 20 seconds.

All spillages of blood and bodily fluids (saliva, vomit, nasal and eye discharges, faeces and urine) should be cleaned up immediately following the ‘Protocol for Dealing with the Spillages of Bodily Fluids’ (see Appendix 1) to reduce the risk of infectious micro-organisms causing further illness.

Vomit and faeces may be disposed of in a WC. Small quantities of tissue paper / paper towel or similar biodegradable material contaminated with minor blood / bodily fluid stains can be disposed of by:

• flushing down the toilet, providing there is no danger of blocking the drains
• in a sanitary waste / feminine hygiene bin
• in a yellow ‘clinical waste’ collection bag

Larger quantities of tissues, paper towel and cloths more heavily contaminated with blood / bodily fluids should be disposed of in a yellow ‘clinical waste’ collection bag (usually available in the medical room), or if this is not available, in a sealed plastic bag which is placed in a sanitary waste / feminine hygiene bin.

Infectious Pupils

Micro-organisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi are all around us. Most are either beneficial or harmless, but some cause infections resulting in symptoms such as fever and sickness. Infections in children are common because a child’s immune system is immature. Added to this, young children often have close contact with their friends and lack good hygiene habits, making it easier for infections to be passed on. Schools therefore have an important role to play in teaching and reinforcing good hygiene habits to reduce the risk of infections spreading

Pupils with symptoms of infectious diseases must not come to school. See the following documents for details of exclusion periods:

www.publichealth.hscni.net/sites/default/files/Guidance_on_infection_control_in%20schools_poster.pdf

Some infectious diseases are notifiable. These are usually notified through a GP. A nominated person in the school (usually the School Nurse) should telephone their local Health Protection Team as soon as possible to report any serious or unusual illness particularly for:

· Escherichia coli (VTEC) (also called E.coli 0157) or E coli VTEC infection

· food poisoning

· hepatitis

· measles, mumps, rubella (rubella is also called German measles)

· meningitis

· tuberculosis

· typhoid

· whooping cough (also called pertussis) 

www.gov.uk/guidance/notifiable-diseases-and-causative-organisms-how-to-report#list-of-notifiable-diseases

Related Documents

• GDST Common Childhood Ailments Protocol – includes diarrhoea and vomiting
• PHE Health Protection for Schools – Infection exclusion table
• PHE Health Protection in Schools - Guidance on managing cases of infectious diseases in schools

Other related documents

• whs.fireflycloud.net/staff-handbook/whole-school-handbook/covid-19-risk-assessments
• Coronavirus/Covid-19 Guidance
• GDST First Aid Policy
• GDST H&S HUB>Pupil Health – Infection Control