Infection Prevention and Control

Infection prevention and control training delivered at your workplace, live online, or via eLearning. Half a day. Practical IPC knowledge, correct PPE technique, and the genuine shift in habits that protect the people your team supports.

Course Overview

Infection prevention and control sits at the heart of safe care. In health and social care settings, early years environments, hospitality, and education, the daily actions of every member of staff either reduce infection risk or contribute to it. There is no neutral ground. And in settings supporting vulnerable individuals, the consequences of poor practice are not abstract. They are outbreaks, hospitalisations, and deaths that could have been prevented. The gap between having an IPC policy and having a workforce that applies IPC principles consistently is, in most cases, a training and culture gap.

In delivery, the reality of how infection control is actually practised surfaces with striking regularity. Staff wearing gloves to protect themselves rather than to prevent cross-contamination between individuals. Aprons touched on the outside during removal and discarded in a way that transfers contamination to hands, clothing, and surfaces. Gloves worn through multiple tasks with the same individual, or across tasks with different individuals, because nobody has explained that changing gloves between tasks is not optional. It is the point. And underlying all of it, the most persistent and dangerous factor: complacency. The assumption that, because nothing has visibly gone wrong, the current practice is fine. PPE is only effective when it is used correctly. Wearing it incorrectly, removing it in the wrong sequence, or selecting it for the wrong purpose provides no meaningful protection.

This course gives staff a clear, practical understanding of how infections spread, why standard precautions exist, and how to apply them correctly and consistently in the working environment they actually occupy. The course reflects the NHS England National Infection Prevention and Control Manual (NIPCM) for England, NICE guideline CG139 (Healthcare-associated infections: prevention and control in primary and community care), and CQC Regulation 12: Safe Care and Treatment. It aligns with employer responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002.

Course Details

  • Duration: Half day (3 to 4 hours). Full day available on request.
  • Delivery: Face-to-face in-house, live online via Zoom or Microsoft Teams, or eLearning
  • Certificate: CPD-Accredited Certificate of Achievement in Infection Prevention and Control
  • Awarding organisations: CPD-Accredited
  • Validity: No formal expiry. A refresher is recommended every 1 to 2 years, depending on sector and workplace risk. The NHS recommends annual IPC training for health and social care staff.
  • Group size: Maximum 15 learners per trainer

Who This Course Is For

This course is right for anyone working in an environment where infection risk is present, and poor practice can harm vulnerable individuals or colleagues.

  • Care assistants and support workers in care homes, supported living, and domiciliary care
  • Senior carers and team leaders
  • Nursing and healthcare assistant staff
  • Early years practitioners and education staff
  • Hospitality, catering, and cleaning teams
  • Public-facing staff in any sector where hygiene and infection control are essential
  • Any organisation requiring IPC awareness training as part of induction, compliance, or ongoing CPD

It is particularly important for staff working with older adults, individuals with compromised immune systems, children, or anyone whose vulnerability to infection is heightened by their health condition or care needs. Not sure whether this course meets your setting’s specific requirements? Get in touch, and we’ll help you work it out before you commit.

Why This Training Matters

Healthcare-associated infections and infections acquired in care settings more broadly are a significant and preventable cause of harm. The National Infection Prevention and Control Manual sets the standard for IPC practice across health and social care in England, establishing the standard precautions that all staff must apply consistently regardless of whether an individual is known to carry an infection. Standard precautions exist because most infections are not visible, and because the people most likely to be harmed by inconsistent practice are those least able to withstand it.

NICE guideline CG139 addresses healthcare-associated infection prevention and control in primary and community care, covering hand hygiene, PPE, environmental cleaning, and the management of care equipment. Its recommendations are directly relevant to domiciliary care, care homes, GP practices, and any setting providing care outside of an acute hospital environment.

Under CQC Regulation 12: Safe Care and Treatment, providers must ensure that care is delivered in a way that prevents and controls the spread of infection. CQC inspectors assess IPC practice directly, looking at whether staff can demonstrate correct hand hygiene technique, whether PPE is being used appropriately, and whether the setting has a culture of consistent IPC practice rather than selective compliance. A care home where staff are removing PPE in the wrong sequence or carrying equipment between individuals without appropriate decontamination is failing Regulation 12 in practice, regardless of what its IPC policy says.

Infection Prevention and Control and the Care Certificate

Infection Prevention and Control is Care Certificate Standard 15. Any care worker completing the Care Certificate must demonstrate knowledge and understanding of IPC principles, including the chain of infection, hand hygiene, PPE use, and their responsibilities in preventing the spread of infection in their setting.

This course covers the knowledge requirements of Standard 15 in full and can be used to support Care Certificate assessment for new starters in health and social care. For a complete overview of the Care Certificate and how Prima Cura Training supports organisations to deliver and assess it, visit our Care Certificate UK Guide.

What the Day Covers

All content reflects the NHS England National Infection Prevention and Control Manual, NICE guidelines, and current CQC expectations throughout. Content is adapted to your sector and the specific infection risks most relevant to your team. Topics covered include:

  • Introduction to infection prevention and control: why it matters and what it requires in practice
  • The chain of infection: sources, routes of transmission, and how each link in the chain can be broken
  • Standard infection control precautions: what they are and why they apply to all individuals
  • Hand hygiene: the six-step WHO technique, when to wash hands, and when alcohol hand gel is and is not appropriate
  • PPE: correct selection, donning sequence, doffing sequence, and the specific errors that cause self-contamination and cross-contamination
  • Complacency in infection control: why it develops, what it costs, and how to recognise it in yourself and others
  • Environmental hygiene: cleaning, decontamination, and the role of a clean environment in breaking the chain of infection
  • Waste disposal: clinical waste, sharps, and safe disposal procedures
  • Respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette
  • Outbreak management awareness: recognising signs of a potential outbreak, correct escalation, and individual and organisational responsibilities
  • IPC responsibilities: individual, organisational, and regulatory standards.

Every course is also built to include your organisation’s IPC policy, PPE provision, and cleaning procedures as standard.

How the Course Is Delivered

This course is available face-to-face at your workplace or chosen venue, live online via Zoom or Microsoft Teams, or via eLearning for organisations requiring flexible, self-paced completion. For face-to-face delivery, sessions are practical and discussion-based, built around the real infection control challenges staff face in their working environment.

Groups are capped at 15 to ensure every learner gets sufficient time for practical demonstration and honest discussion. Every session is built around your sector, your IPC policy, your PPE provision, your cleaning schedules, and the specific infection risks most relevant to your team. For settings where complacency or inconsistent practice has been identified through supervision, audit, or inspection, we can discuss how to build that context directly into the session during the enquiry process.

Delivery includes:

  • Practical demonstration and practice of correct hand hygiene technique and PPE donning and doffing sequence
  • Direct discussion of the specific PPE errors that cause self-contamination and cross-contamination, including the common habits that staff do not realise are dangerous
  • Scenario-based work covering the infection control decisions staff face in everyday practice
  • Honest discussion of complacency, including why it develops, what it costs, and how to challenge it in yourself and others
  • Review of your organisation’s IPC policy, PPE provision, and cleaning procedures

Certification and Validity

On completion, learners receive a CPD-Accredited Certificate of Achievement in Infection Prevention and Control.

A refresher is recommended every 1 to 2 years, depending on sector, workplace risk, and regulatory expectations. NHS England recommends annual IPC training for health and social care staff. For any setting supporting vulnerable individuals, annual refreshers are strongly advisable and should be treated as part of mandatory training rather than optional CPD. Refresher training should also be arranged following any IPC-related incident or outbreak, significant changes to working procedures or PPE provision, or where CQC inspection feedback identifies gaps in IPC practice.

Why Organisations Book With Prima Cura

Most training providers arrive with a course. We arrive with yours.

Before the day, we gather information about your workplace: your incident reporting forms, your internal procedures, the specific hazards your team actually faces. On the day, your trainer works that into every scenario, every discussion, every practical exercise. If your staff work in a care home, they’re not practising on hypothetical office workers. If your team are lone workers, that context shapes how the session runs.

It means the training lands. Not because it was well-delivered in a generic sense, but because it was relevant to the people in the room and the situations they’ll actually encounter.

A few other things that matter to the organisations that book with us:

  • 98.9% learner satisfaction across all Prima Cura courses
  • All trainers hold Enhanced DBS certificates and maintain ongoing CPD
  • We advise honestly on the qualification level at the enquiry stage. If a different course is a better fit for your workforce, we’ll say so before you book, not after

We respond to all enquiries within one working day.

Where We Deliver

We deliver in-house training at your workplace or chosen venue across Manchester, Greater Manchester, and the wider North West. We also deliver nationally across England, including North England, South England, London, and Surrey.

All sessions are led by experienced Prima Cura Training instructors. Groups are capped at 15 per trainer to protect the quality of hands-on learning.

Our associate network means we can deliver across England. You can meet the team on our Associates page.

FAQs

Why does the sequence of PPE donning and doffing matter?

The sequence matters because removing PPE incorrectly is one of the most common routes of self-contamination. If gloves are removed in a way that touches their outer surface, or if an apron is pulled off in a way that allows the contaminated outer surface to contact clothing or skin, the protection the PPE was meant to provide is undone at the moment of removal. This is one of the most consistently observed errors in care settings, and it is entirely preventable with correct technique. This course covers the correct donning and doffing sequence in practical detail, including the specific errors most commonly seen and why each one creates risk.

What is the difference between handwashing and using alcohol hand gel?

Both have a role in IPC, but they are not interchangeable. Alcohol hand gel is effective against most bacteria and enveloped viruses, but is not effective against certain pathogens, including Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) spores and norovirus. In these situations, handwashing with soap and water is required. Using alcohol gel when soap and water are needed provides a false sense of protection. This course covers when each method is appropriate, why the distinction matters in care settings, and the WHO six-step handwashing technique, which consistently produces effective results. We deliver this training across Greater Manchester, the wider North West, and nationally.

Is infection prevention and control training a legal requirement?

Yes, in practice. Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the COSHH Regulations 2002, employers must assess and control risks from biological agents, including infectious microorganisms, and ensure staff receive appropriate information and training. For regulated care providers, CQC Regulation 12 places a direct duty to prevent and control the spread of infection. A setting that cannot demonstrate that staff have received adequate IPC training is non-compliant.

Is this course suitable for domiciliary care staff?

Yes. Infection control in a person’s own home presents specific challenges: variable environments, limited access to facilities, and working without immediate senior support. This course covers domiciliary care contexts specifically, including the IPC risks most commonly encountered during solo visits and the correct response when facilities or PPE are not readily accessible. We deliver across Greater Manchester, the wider North West, and nationally, and can tailor content to reflect the specific conditions your domiciliary staff work in.

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Book or Enquire

Book your training or request a quote

Tell us your team size and your sector. We’ll come back with a quote, the right advice on qualification level, and a straight answer on whether this is the best course for your team.

We respond to all enquiries within one working day.

Our Commitment to Quality and Compliance

At Prima Cura Training, all courses reflect current UK guidance and best practice. All trainers are experienced professionals with relevant qualifications and ongoing CPD. Because many of the organisations we support work with vulnerable individuals, all trainers hold Enhanced DBS checks.

This course is reviewed against updates from NICE, the Care Quality Commission, and current UK legislation, including the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. Course content aligns with the NHS England National Infection Prevention and Control Manual for England and NICE guidelines.

You can read more on our Quality Assurance and Compliance page.

Reviewed by Stephanie Austin, Owner and Lead Trainer, Prima Cura Training | 25+ years in health and social care | 15+ years as a trainer | Last reviewed: June 2026 | Next review: June 2027

This page is for general guidance only and reflects current UK legislation, NHS England guidance, and NICE guidelines as of the date of review. It does not constitute clinical, legal, or regulatory advice. Infection Prevention and Control Training is an awareness-level course and does not replace organisation-specific IPC policies, outbreak management plans, or the regulatory obligations placed on providers under CQC Regulation 12, the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. Employers remain responsible for ensuring their IPC arrangements, PPE provision, environmental hygiene procedures, and staff training comply with all applicable legislation, NHS guidance, and CQC expectations.

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