Standard precautions are crucial elements that lower the risk of microorganism transmission. They provide defence against infection to clients/patients, employees, and their families in addition to reducing the spread of healthcare-associated infections (HCAI), which can happen if basic precautions are not followed. Health and social care settings can be significantly impacted by the transmission of infection.

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Waste management is the generic term for a range of waste-associated activities –its generation, handling, storage, and transportation from point of source (e.g. treatment or consultation room) to final place of disposal (recycling, alternative treatments and composting or incinerator). Improper waste management risks staff safety and could affect a wider network of people including patients, visitors, and waste contractors. Organisations are responsible for ensuring compliance with legislation around the segregation of waste. They have a duty of care for waste from cradle to grave (including incineration) and therefore need to understand the different disposal routes for all the waste they produce. The segregation, collection, storage, handling, transportation, and disposal of waste must be undertaken with care and in line with local policy and procedure.

Cleaning and waste management are intrinsically linked. The safe and effective management of each one relies on the successful application of the other. Organisations should ensure that cleaning processes and systems, including the adoption of these standards, reflect local policy relating to waste.

Visit this guide for more information- National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness 2021

All waste management activities should also comply with national guidance and good practice (Health Technical Memorandum – Management and disposal of healthcare waste 078433).

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/B2159iii-health-technical-memorandum-07-01.pdf

Respiratory and cough hygiene is designed to minimise the risk of cross transmission of known or suspected respiratory illness (pathogens). To reduce the spread you can:

• cover the nose and mouth with a disposable tissue when sneezing, coughing, wiping and blowing the nose; if unavailable use the crook of the arm

• dispose of all used tissues promptly into a waste bin

• wash hands with non-antimicrobial liquid soap and warm water after coughing, sneezing, using tissues, or after contact with respiratory secretions or objects contaminated by these secretions

• where there is no running water available or hand hygiene facilities are lacking, staff may use hand wipes followed by ABHR and should wash their hands at the first available opportunity

• keep contaminated hands away from the eyes nose and mouth.

Staff should promote respiratory and cough hygiene helping those (eg, elderly, children) who need assistance with this, providing patients with tissues, plastic bags for used tissues and hand hygiene facilities as necessary.

More information can be provided here:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/national-infection-prevention-and-control-manual-nipcm-for-england/chapter-1-standard-infection-control-precautions-sicps/#1-3

• The principles of SICPs and TBPs continue to apply while deceased individuals remain in the care environment. This is due to the ongoing risk of infectious transmission via contact although the risk is usually lower than for living patients. Additional precautions may be required depending on the organism and activities carried out.

• https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/national-infection-prevention-and-control-manual-appendix-12.pdf