Mrs Melissa Murphy1
1Central Highlands Rural Health, Daylesford, Australia
Biography:
Melissa Murphy is a Clinical Nurse Consultant/Team Lead for Central Highlands Rural Health, with over 15 years’ experience in infection control across rural and remote Victoria. She is passionate about leadership, improving patient safety, building workforce capability, and delivering practical, evidence-based education tailored to diverse healthcare settings and outcomes.
Abstract:
Sustained Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) outcomes rely on strong leadership engagement; however, many healthcare leaders lack specialised IPC knowledge, creating gaps in oversight and decision-making. Through the ACIPC Mentoring Program, a structured project was undertaken to enhance communication, visibility, and shared accountability between an IPC practitioner and a line manager without formal IPC training. The project aimed to design and implement a monthly IPC accountability and performance report to improve managerial awareness, support informed decision-making, and provide a consistent mechanism for monitoring IPC performance, risks, and achievements.
A collaborative co-design approach was used to develop a reporting framework tailored to a non-IPC-trained leader. Key components included key performance indicators, external reporting requirements, quality improvement updates, emerging risks, and notable achievements. These elements were identified through consultation, evidence review, and alignment with organisational priorities. The tool was piloted over several months and refined iteratively based on mentoring and leadership feedback.
Implementation of the monthly report improved clarity and transparency around IPC performance and obligations. Leaders reported increased understanding of reporting requirements and greater confidence in managing IPC risks and improvement initiatives. The structured format supported trend identification, early escalation of concerns, and recognition of achievements. Following its success, the Executive Director expanded the reporting template to all direct reports, adapting it across operational areas and strengthening organisational governance.
A targeted, structured reporting tool can bridge knowledge gaps and enhance accountability among leaders without formal IPC training. Mentoring was critical in shaping content and building confidence in presenting complex information, supporting stronger leadership engagement and governance.