Planning, designing and construction. Infection Prevention and Control strategies for building works
Robert Robinson11Hunter New England Local Health District, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
What role does the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) service requires to undertake, when you hear about building works that are planned or already in progress?
It is essential that the IPC service is consulted and becomes involved from the initial discussions and continues throughout the planning, designing and building phases for the project. However, the IPC service may not be informed or only made aware at a later date that plan building works are occurring in a facility or a new redevelopment is taking place.
Involvement in a redevelopment can be great opportunity for the IPC service but you will be confronted with challenges, questions and need to make decisions even at short notice. Also, the additional impact on the IPC service workload usually comes with no additional staff resources.
The COVID pandemic has highlighted the importance for IPC practitioners to review building designs and ensure pandemic / outbreak management principles are included into the plans.
I will discuss practical approaches to ensure the IPC service is acknowledged as an integral part of the project management team. Also, the different methods to address concerns or questions raised, supporting documentation to assist and using these to ensure you are prepared to have those critical conversations.
Biography
Robert is a Clinical Nurse Consultant for the Infection Prevention Service at Hunter New England Local Health District.
He has 31 years nursing experience, with a clinical background in variety of speciality areas and management experience across both public and private hospitals. Robert’s has academic qualifications and other credentials relating to Infection Prevention and Control and clinical nursing. Robert has 22 years specifically working in the Infection Prevention and Control service and has previously presented at local, state and at ACIPC conferences. He has extensive clinical skills and knowledge across all aspects of the Infection Prevention Service.