General practice resources

Useful resources

Microbiological testing

To help prevent specimen rejection and to ensure patients receive correct and timely treatment, please refer to your local pathology handbook below for information pertaining to specimen collection and analysis:

• RCHT pathology handbook
• UHP pathology handbook
• Royal Devon university healthcare pathology handbook
• Skip the dip poster

Handwashing

• Bare below the elbow poster (PDF, 810KB)
• 5 moments of handwashing poster (PDF, 220 KB)
• Handwashing technique poster (PDF, 458 KB)

Personal protective equipment

• Primary care when do I need to wear a mask
• UKHSA PPE donning and doffing guidance

Healthcare associated infections

• NICE: Healthcare-associated infections: prevention and control in primary and community care
• NHS how to take a stool sample: This resource has been developed as part of the Midlands IPC Collaborative Group. The animation provides an overview of how to take a stool/faecal sample for patients who have diarrhoea/loose stools. The animation covers when samples should be taken and how to collect the sample, including how much of a sample is required. Reminding teams to be SIGHTED on the risks associated with diarrhoea and the importance of early sample taking.

Guidelines and specifications

• The South West Primary Care Infection Prevention and Control Assurance Framework has been designed to support providers in evidencing their CQC requirements. Please see Falmouth health centre annual infection prevention and control report 2025 as an example of good practice.
• Guidelines on the facilities required for minor surgical procedures and minimal access interventions
• NICE quality standard infection prevention and control
• NHS Improvement: Learning from patient safety incidents
• Types of healthcare waste by packaging colour
• As part of preparing practices for the possible need to give intramuscular human normal immunoglobulin, please see UKHSA guide Immunoglobulin: when to use.

Primary care spotlight podcast

The Kernow Health CIC Cornwall primary care training hub delivers a monthly “Primary Care Spotlight” podcast that brings you all the latest news and insights from the hub. The infection prevention and control team were invited as guests on the podcast in March 2022 and for a miniseries during infection prevention and control week in October 2022. Please listen to the podcasts on your preferred platform by visiting the Kernow Health CIC primary care spotlight webpage.

Policies

We endorse the use of the Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust Community Infection Prevention and Control Policies for General Practice and have received very positive feedback from providers who have purchased them for a small fee, as well as those who have downloaded the freely available versions. We recommend settings ensure they have the correct versions in use within their setting by visiting the Harrogate and District NHS Community Infection Prevention and Control Policies for General Practice  webpage.

Patient Information Leaflets

• RCHT Clostridium difficile patient information
• RCHT GDH positive toxin negative patient information
• RCHT extended spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL), AmpC and K1 patient information
• RCHT Glycopeptide Resistant Enterococci GRE patient information
• RCHT Hand hygiene patient and visitor information
• RCHT MRSA patient information
• RCHT Norovirus (Winter vomiting virus) patient information
• NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Urinary Tract Infections Patient Information

Cleaning

To support primary care settings to review their current processes to align with national standards, please see example primary care cleaning specification template  including functional risk categorisation, elements, performance parameters, cleaning frequencies and cleaning responsibilities.

National standards recommend using risk categories for different areas based on what happens there, and the categories then help decide how and how often things are cleaned. Please see NHSE the national standards of healthcare cleanliness 2025 to view the national standards. Further local guidance on using the standards can be found in the 18-minute YouTube narrated presentation the national standards of healthcare cleanliness 2025 implementation guidance.

Audit and competency assessment tools

• primary care audit calendar template
• primary care annual report template
• primary care minor operations audit tool
• hand hygiene competency assessment tool
• water safety audit tool

In our primary care audit calendar template, some of the audit and competency assessment tools we recommend using are provided by Harrogate and District infection prevention and control. These are:

• SICPs Assurance: Annual IPC Audit Tool for General Practice
• Aseptic technique competency: Annual Assessment Tool for General Practice
• Hand hygiene audit tool for general practice
• National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness audit scoresheet
• Personal protective equipment audit tool

The Harrogate and District NHS Community Infection Prevention and Control website offers a variety of useful additional resources to settings, please visit their website for further information Harrogate and District NHS Community Infection Prevention and Control resources For general Practice.