Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Annual Statement

Reporting Period: April 2026 to March 2027

This annual statement has been produced in accordance with the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act 2008: Code of Practice on the prevention and control of infections and related guidance. It provides a summary of infection prevention and control activities undertaken by Custom House Surgery during the reporting period.

IPC leads

The Infection Prevention and Control Leads for the practice are:

• Anisah Muhammad: Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP) – Clinical Lead
• Dahlia Gardner: Practice Manager – Non-Clinical Lead

Clinical oversight is provided by the GP Partners and the wider clinical team.

Infection control arrangements

Custom House Surgery is committed to maintaining a clean and safe environment for patients, staff, and visitors. The practice continues to promote high standards of infection prevention and control through:

• Regular infection prevention and control audits
• Annual staff training and updates
• Safe management of clinical waste
• Appropriate hand hygiene practices
• Use of personal protective equipment (PPE) where required
• Cleaning schedules and monitoring processes
• Immunisation programmes for staff where appropriate
• Monitoring and reporting of significant infection-related events

Significant events

During the reporting period, there were:

• No significant infection control breaches requiring external reporting
• No outbreaks of infection associated with the practice environment
• No reported cases of serious communicable disease transmission linked to practice activity

Any infection prevention concerns identified were reviewed, managed appropriately, and used as learning opportunities where necessary.

Audits and risk assessments

The following audits and assessments were completed during the year:

• Infection Prevention and Control Audit
• Hand Hygiene Audit
• Cleaning Standards Review
• Sharps and Clinical Waste Disposal Review
• Legionella Risk Assessment Review
• Fire and Health & Safety inspections (where relevant to IPC)

Actions arising from audits were discussed within practice meetings and implemented accordingly.

Staff training

All staff received mandatory infection prevention and control training appropriate to their role. Training included:

• Hand hygiene
• Use of PPE
• Waste management
• Sharps safety
• Cleaning procedures
• Management of infectious illnesses

New staff receive IPC induction training as part of the onboarding process.

Policies and procedures

The practice maintains up-to-date IPC-related policies and procedures, which are reviewed regularly and made available to all staff. Policies include:

• Infection Prevention and Control Policy
• Needle Stick Injury Policy
• Cleaning and Decontamination Procedures
• Waste Management Policy
• Exposure to Blood and Body Fluids Policy

Future priorities for 2027 to 2028

The practice aims to continue strengthening infection prevention arrangements through:

• Ongoing staff education and awareness
• Continued monitoring of cleaning standards
• Maintaining compliance with national IPC guidance
• Reviewing audit outcomes and implementing improvements where required
• Supporting safe patient care within the practice environment

This statement will be reviewed annually and updated in line with current guidance and practice requirements.

Signed

• Anisah Muhammad: Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP) – Clinical Lead
• Dahlia Gardner: Practice Manager – Non-Clinical Lead Custom House Surgery

Date: April 2027