Infection Prevention and Control

Our Infection Prevention and Control Team’s role is to ensure that all steps are taken to minimise the spread of infection, advise on appropriate treatment regimes, and reassure patients.

Our Infection Prevention and Control Team includes Specialist Nurses, a surveillance team, support workers and administrative staff working together with the consultant microbiologist/ Director of Infection Prevention and Control.

Please feel free to browse our pages (on the left of this page) which contain useful information about infections and healthcare-associated infections in particular. The information in those pages has come from the Health Protection Agency and Association of Medical Microbiologists.

Here is our Infection Prevention and Control annual report.

Concerned about infections?

• If you are a patient at our hospitals, NNUH and Cromer, or a relative of one of our patients, and are concerned about an infection issue we recommend you speak to the nurse in charge of the ward or department or the medical team who will liaise with the infection prevention and control staff. Should you have a concern please raise it immediately with the ward staff or Matron for the area concerned.
• Based on our experience we would stress it is very difficult to answer concerns or address any issues if they are raised months or even years after the event. We also cannot respond to anonymous phone calls as we do need to know who the patient was and where and when they were being cared for.
• If you are not a patient or relative of a patient cared for at NNUH or Cromer but at another hospital or health centre, then you will need to speak to the nurse or manager in charge at that hospital or surgery. We cannot deal with concerns about health services not provided by our NHS Foundation Trust. Your family doctor, or the Norfolk Health Protection Unit can all give general information about infections.
• Our Infection Control Team spend a great deal of their time on our wards working with clinical teams and patients. As a result, it is not possible for them to see people in person unless an appointment has been made in advance. We would also like to stress that the team does not meet sales reps who call unannounced.
• Our support workers spend the majority of their day in clincal areas auditing hand hygiene and equipment cleanliness and isolation rooms.