Join Our Infection Prevention & Control Team Make a Real Difference Every Day
Are you passionate about patient safety and making a visible impact on quality of care? We are looking for a motivated Infection Prevention & Control (IPC) Support Practitioner to join our dynamic and supportive team.
In this role, you will be at the heart of protecting patients, staff and communities from infection risks. You will support the delivery of our IPC programme through audit, surveillance, education and quality improvement activities across a diverse range of community settings. This is an exciting opportunity to develop specialist skills, work alongside experienced professionals, and contribute to meaningful change that improves outcomes every day.
We are looking for someone who is proactive, motivated and organised. Whether you are already working in healthcare or looking to develop your career in IPC, we will provide the training, mentorship and opportunities you need to grow.
The role is based out of Woking Community Hospital and will also cover our many and varied community services and sites across north west Surrey.
Why join us?You'll be part of a forward-thinking, collaborative team where your contribution is valued and your development is a priority. We are committed to creating a positive, inclusive working environment, supporting innovation, and helping you build a rewarding career in infection prevention and control.
Please note: we do NOT offer UKVI sponsorship.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will support the Infection Prevention & Control (IPC) Team in delivering a comprehensive IPC service across community and inpatient services, as well as care homes in NW Surrey. This includes contributing to audits, surveillance, training and quality improvement initiatives to reduce infection risks and promote best practice.
Working both independently and as part of a team, the role involves delivering IPC training, undertaking audit and peer review visits, supporting data collection and reporting, and responding to IPC queries. The post holder will also help drive engagement through communication activities and work collaboratively with clinical teams to challenge poor practice and embed high standards of infection prevention.
Strong organisational skills are essential, as the role includes managing workload, maintaining accurate records, and supporting administrative functions. Ongoing professional development and a proactive approach to learning are key to success in this role.
About us
CSHSurrey are part of the NHS and are Surrey’s longest established NHS community services provider, so our employees get NHS pay and pensions, and also receive the Fringe High-Cost Allowance of 5%.
Our staff enjoy excellent training and development opportunities, including the care certificate, apprenticeships, numeracy and literacy courses, access to the Nursing Associate programme, and a wide variety of management and leadership courses and programmes.
We CARE about our staff through our values of Compassion, Accountability, Respect and Excellence. Our active employee council called The Voice elects employee representatives to ensure colleagues’ voices are heard at Board level. CSH is a diverse organisation, if you are a passionate, person-focused individual then apply to join CSH Surrey today!
We welcome candidates from all backgrounds who meet the essential criteria of the job you are applying for and if you require any reasonable adjustments, please contact the named individual for this advert, or our recruitment team.
Job responsibilities
This post has been developed to support and assist the CSH Infection Prevention & Control Team in providing a comprehensive infection control service across CSH Surrey services, as well as infection control training and support across the care homes in NW Surrey.
This will require the post holder to work with the team and to have a high degree of autonomy in completing and achieving set competencies.
Responsibilities
* Work to the CSH IPC team vision and values
* Ensure that all IPC team enquiries are dealt with in an efficient, polite and confidential manner within post holder area of competence, and/or passed on to the relevant team member for action
* Work well both autonomously as well as within the team
* Manage own workload and time efficiently, prioritising responsibilities as required to ensure continuity of the IPC service
* Understand the principles of IPC and preventing the spread of infection
* Have the confidence to challenge poor practice appropriately where it is observed and raise with operational colleagues
* Deliver training including hand hygiene and cleaning, within own area of competence
* Carry out regular peer review visits to CSH services clinical teams and NW Surrey care homes using locally agreed frameworks, and including carrying out environmental and hand hygiene audits
* Contribute to quality improvement initiatives aimed at reducing infection risk and work closely with all operational teams to support best practice in infection prevention and control
* Participate and support with the team IPC audits using agreed frameworks
* Contribute to the gathering and collation of surveillance data and support the preparation of routine reports under supervision
* Work within the organisation's IPC policies and national guidelines (e.g., Health and Social Care Act Code of Practice)
* Contribute to increased IPC engagement across NW Surrey including newsletter communications, updating local noticeboards, contributing to IPC Links and Champions network training and events
* Have an understanding and working knowledge of the IT packages that are used, including Microsoft Office – Excel, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, MS Teams
* Maintain accurate records of IPC activities, surveillance reports, audit results and training attendance
* Take up some office duties including diary management and message management, opening and distributing emails as appropriate from the IPC inbox, dealing with telephone calls and enquiries
* Undertake any courses and development programmes identified as being relevant to the position
* Develop personal knowledge in the speciality of Infection Prevention & Control through experience, attending relevant study days and courses as well as self-directed study
* Participate in reflection of clinical practice in order to the an effective and accountable practitioner
Communication skills (factor 1)
* Promote a positive IPC culture throughout community services
* Develop IPC related documents, IPC posters and presentations and IPC data collection/spreadsheets as directed by senior IPC team
* Manage the often complex and conflicting queries in the IPC team email inboxes ensuring messages are responded to in the first place, or passed onto the relevant team member
* Arrange meetings on behalf of IPC team
Analytical and judgemental skills (f3)
* Assist in conducting IPC audits in community clinical areas (e.g., hand hygiene, environmental cleanliness, care bundles)
* Record audit outcomes and support nursing/clinical teams to implement action plans
* Ensure audit documentation is accurate and timely
* Act as IT champion to the IPC team to promote the development of IT based processes and extend the use of IT systems to create team efficiencies
* Challenge poor practice appropriately and escalates concerns in line with organisational policy and within scope of role
Planning and organisational skills (f4)
* Develop a standardised process for filing IPC surveillance data, assurance reports, ensuring data is stored appropriately and electronically with correct filepathways which are kept up to date
* Support collation of all audits, reports and supporting IPC assurances received by the team
* Maintain a knowledge base of all services and activities delivered by the IPC team
* Work regularly across multiple community locations and external partner sites, requiring independent planning and travel
Human resources (f9)
* May provide support for team management and induction
Information resources (f10)
* Support collation of all audits, reports and supporting IPC assurances received by the team, and maintain an accurate filing system within agreed frameworks
Research and development (f11)
* Identify and take responsibility for own learning requirements in relation to the provision of an efficient service
* Attend statutory and mandatory training to maintain compliance
* Participate in the performance development review process
* Foster a learning culture
Freedom to act (f12)
* Work autonomously within agreed policies and procedures, seeking advice from senior IPC staff when encountering complex or unusual situations
* Ability to flexibly prioritise workload according to service need
* Maintain a knowledge base of all services and activities delivered by the IPC team
Supplementary Information
This job description is not exhaustive, and the post holder may be required to undertake such other duties from time to time as are consistent with the responsibility of the grade.
This job description is subject to review and development from time to time in liaison with the post holder. As an employee of Central Surrey Health Ltd you will be required to adhere to all the organisation's policies and procedures.
Person Specification
Experience
* Knowledge of infection control guidance and standards
* Experience of higher level of skills and knowledge of practice
* Experience of working in a health or social care setting
* Good interpersonal skills
* A team player
* Able to provide high standard of care
* Tact and diplomacy
* Empathy and sensitivity
* Ability to use own initiative
* Good observational skills and reporting skills
* Ability to manage stressful situations
* Work flexibly to accommodate patient/service needs
* Experience and knowledge of infection prevention and control within health or social care settings
* Working knowledge of NHS IT systems eg ICE, EMIS, Cerner, or willingness to learn
Other
* Commitment to self-development
* Energy and enthusiasm, with a pragmatic can do attitude
* Be able to negotiate and influence others
* Have a full driving licence and willing to visit service sites across Surrey
Qualifications
* Good general level of education to GCSE A - C Grade or equivalent
* Previous experience working a health or social care setting
* Level 3 in Health & Social Care, or equivalent knowledge and experience
* Direct Infection Prevention and Control experience i.e. IPC Link or Champion
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
£29,812 to £32,715 a year inclusive of the 5% HCAS per annum pro rata
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