POLICY
MEDICAL POLICY RE: INFECTION CONTROL
This policy applies to all School departments, including EYFS
The transmission of the common cold, Influenza and more volatile viruses such as the
Rotovirus and Norovirus seem to be on the increase, along with other, more serious and
potentially fatal infections and viral bacteria. There is also a risk that carriers of bloodborne infections such as Hepatitis and HIV could pass on these infections if certain
controls are not followed. Therefore the need for an effective Infection Control Policy that
is adopted by all staff, students and visitors alike has never been more crucial.
Infection Control Guidelines
The following guidelines should be widely adopted by the OLCS community as good
practice in order to reduce the risk of transmitting any potential virus or infection as it
cannot be known that there is a definite risk of transmission in any given situation.
Attached to this policy is the Health Protection Agency’s guide for infection control within
schools (appendix 1) which should be referred to if staff are presented with an illness that
they are not familiar with and the appropriate action taken, as detailed below.
The Department of Education have a variety of useful information available. Guidance is
already available on:
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Infection control – how to reduce the spread of pandemic flu: Guidance for school
and early years or childcare settings
Summary chart for early years/childcare settings
Infection control – how to reduce the spread of pandemic flu: Guidance for child
minders
Summary chart for child minders
Infection control – how to reduce the spread of pandemic flu: Guidance for
residential settings for children and vulnerable young people
Infection control – how to reduce the spread of pandemic flu: Guidance for further
education colleges and higher education institutions
NHS hand-washing poster
NHS 'coughs and sneezes' poster
Swine Flu leaflet
The School’s Risk Assessment procedures identify subjects or activities where risk of
infection could occur and staff working within these areas must be extra vigilant that these
guidelines are adhered to.
As a general precaution, staff giving physical care to children should cover cuts and
abrasions with waterproof or other suitable dressings.
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All parents and students are made aware of the Infection Control Guidelines in order to
ensure good practice and greatly reduce the risk of transmitting infections and viral
bacteria throughout the school community.
Sanitising gel is located at entrances to all buildings and all site users should be
encouraged to use these when entering or exiting the building.
Reporting Infections
1. If a member of staff is aware that a student is suffering from an infection that
requires exclusion from school (Please see the attached information sheet) then
please send the student to Reception so that the parent can be notified and the
student can wait in the medical room, under the supervision of the receptionist, until
the parent collects the child. Please also notify the Senior Management Team.
2. If a member of staff becomes aware of an infection that requires exclusion from
school then please do not come into school and inform a member of the senior
management team as soon as possible. The normal absence reporting procedure
also applies.
3. It is the School’s policy that should any member of the School community be
identified as having HIV/Aids, or other such blood-borne infection, this knowledge
will be passed on a strictly ‘need to know’ basis to avoid any discrimination. The
strict use of these Infection Control Guidelines in all risk situations should ensure
that dissemination can be kept to a minimum.
Personal Hygiene
1. Hand washing is one of the most important ways of controlling the spread of
infections, especially those that cause diarrhoea and vomiting, and respiratory disease.
The recommended method is the use of liquid soap, warm water and paper towels /
hand dryers. Always wash hands and encourage pupils to wash hands after using the
toilet, before eating or handling food, and after handling animals. Cover all cuts and
abrasions with waterproof dressings.
2. Razors, toothbrushes or other such-like implements which could become contaminated
with blood must not be shared.
3. Minor cuts, open or weeping skin lesions and abrasions should be covered with
waterproof or other suitable dressings.
4. Sanitary towels and tampons must be disposed of in the sanitary bins, located in all
toilets, so that they are removed from site and burnt in an incinerator.
5. Accidents involving external bleeding:
a. normal first aid procedures should be followed, which should include the use of
disposable gloves;
b. rinse the wound immediately with copious amounts of tepid water; dab or wipe
the area with a disposable, sterilising tissue and apply a suitable dressing and
pressure pad if needed;
c. as soon as possible seek medical advice;
d. splashes of blood from one child on to another:
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i. Splashes of blood on the skin should be washed off immediately with
soap and water;
ii. Splashes of blood into the eyes or mouth should be washed out
immediately with copious amounts of water.
6. After accidents resulting in bleeding, spills should be cleared up with a spill kit and
contaminated surfaces, e.g. tables or furniture should be cleaned liberally with the
sanitising solution in the pack (See General Hygiene, point 2 below). Blood spill packs
are available from Reception or the Estates office.
7. Complete an accident form in the usual manner.
8. Warning: Bleach should never be used within a school environment; please do not use
Bleach to clean spills and / or contaminated surfaces.
General Hygiene
1.
General Cleaning:
a. Normal cleaning methods are used; no special disinfectants are necessary for
work areas, bathrooms or toilets;
b. Separate, disposable cloths are used by the housekeeping team for kitchen
(Blue), for Classrooms (Green), for bathroom (Yellow) and for toilet (Red). All
staff must stick to this colour coding for general cleaning tasks.
2. Cleaning of blood and body fluid spillages: All spillages of blood, faeces, saliva,
vomit, nasal and eye discharges should be cleaned up immediately (always wear
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)).
a. When spillages occur, use a spill kit available from Reception or the Estates
office. Use as per manufacturer’s instructions. Never use mops for cleaning up
blood and body fluid spillages.
b. Liberally cover the fluid with the powder in the spill kit and let the powder absorb
all of the liquid. Brush into the clinical waste bag using the pad and pan
included in the kit. Once cleared spray the surface with the sanitising solution
also contained within the kit.
c. Individual paper towels may be used in an emergency and discarded down the
toilet. However, if many are used, it is preferable to treat them as infected waste.
Gloves and aprons should be discarded as infected waste (see waste disposal
below).
3. Clothes and linen that are stained with bodily fluids should be washed in a washing
machine at 60 degrees centigrade for 10 minutes or boiled before hand washing.
4. Crockery and cutlery can be cleaned by hand washing with hot soapy water or in a
dishwasher or dish steriliser.
Waste Disposal
1. Urine and faeces should be eliminated or discarded into the toilet in the normal
manner.
2. Soiled waste, i.e. nappies and pads from a child known to be infected, should be
‘Double Bagged’ into yellow clinical waste bags, sealed and placed in the bin in the
Medical Room for collection and incineration.
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3. When work is completed wash and dry hands.
AIDS & HIV
“Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is caused by infection with the Human
Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The virus affects the body’s natural immune defence
mechanisms and ultimately renders the individual particularly susceptible to other
infections and some types of malignant tumours. If certain of these other infections or
tumours develop, then an AIDS diagnosis is reached. A blood test will check if someone is
positive for HIV (antibodies), not for an AIDS diagnosis. People with AIDS are especially
vulnerable to infections by organisms which would not pose a threat to those with normal
immunity. There is often a lengthy period between infection with HIV and the development
of the condition that constitutes AIDS. Modern treatment means that the time from HIV
infection to the development of AIDS is delayed.
HIV continues to be one of the most important communicable diseases in the UK. It is an
infection associated with serious morbidity, high costs of treatment and care, significant
mortality and high number of potential years of life lost. Each year, many thousands of
individuals are diagnosed with HIV for the first time. The infection is still frequently
regarded as stigmatising and has a prolonged ‘silent’ period during which it often remains
undiagnosed. Highly active antiretroviral therapies have resulted in substantial reductions
in AIDS incidence and deaths in the UK.
Risk of Transmission
HIV infection is not easily transmitted: the virus is not robust and does not survive for long
outside the human body. “For HIV transmission to take place, material infected with HIV
(e.g. blood, semen, vaginal secretions, saliva, vomit or breast milk) must be transferred
from one person’s body into another person’s body. It cannot be transmitted through intact
skin or by normal domestic contact (e.g. holding hands, kissing etc.).” DfES 20.06.2002.
This policy was approved by SLT:
Date: January 2017
Review date: July 2017
Point of contact (Reviewer): Mr J Orrill
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Appendix 1
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