Infection prevention and control
Welcome to the RCN's infection control web pages. Here you can find latest news and guidance on infection prevention as well as resources and downloads that will help you prevent and control infection.
The RCN considers infection prevention and control to be a core element of quality, patient safety and governance systems and as such it is one of the RCN's key areas of activity. The role of the nurse adviser is to support, enhance and promote excellence in nursing practice in this field.
What is infection prevention and control?
Infection prevention and control is the clinical application of microbiology in practice. Infection or disease may be caused by bacteria, fungi, viruses or prions and can result in a wide variety of infections, for example, urinary tract, wound, respiratory, blood, bone and skin infections.
Not all infections are transmissible but some, such as C. difficile, influenza and norovirus have the potential to spread from one patient to another, causing infection. This has additional significant implications for healthcare organisations, facilities or nursing homes. Understanding how infections occur and how different micro-organisms act and spread is crucial to preventing infections. As nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants, prevention is our primary aim.
Your feedback is needed
These web pages are new and are being updated and expanded according to your needs. We welcome your feedback and ideas on improving the service we provide to you as members. Please email ipc@rcn.org.uk with your suggestions on how we can improve this resource for you.
Join us
We now have over 1000 members. To join the rapidly expanding RCN Infection Prevention and Control Network please email ipc@rcn.org.uk with your name and either your membership number or date of birth. To unsubscribe, please email us and your details will be removed.