Ms Penelope Radalj1
1Barwon Health, Geelong, Australia
Biography:
Penny enjoys working as an IPC consultant for a large regional health service, mostly supporting residential aged care. The past four years include leading the Local Public Health Unit supporting residential aged care facilities to provide advice and review IPC and acute respiratory outbreaks through onsite visits and offsite communication.
Abstract:
Public healthcare services employ infection prevention and control (IPC) consultants in an IPC programme. These IPC programmes have been established for decades and provide expert advice to reduce the risk to patients, consumers and members of the workforce of acquiring preventable infections; effectively manage infections, if they occur; prevent and contain antimicrobial resistance; promote appropriate prescribing and use of antimicrobials as part of antimicrobial stewardship; and promote appropriate and sustainable use of infection prevention and control resources.
Public service RACHs have incorporated the introduction of the IPC Lead role to residential aged care homes (RACH) enabling onsite nurses qualified in IPC with expertise in RAC. The IPC Lead role strengthens awareness, knowledge, and adoption of IPC practices in RACHs. Success of the IPC Lead role depends on the level of support by the health care service and expert support for the IPC lead to undertake the role effectively.
Victorian public health services have differing IPC lead working arrangements in their RACHs due to variations in RACH size, location, resident profile, and allocated responsibility to the IPC Lead role. The healthcare service IPC programme enhances IPC knowledge and practice to the IPC Lead and RACH. The advantage of IPC service support for IPC in RACH is continuity of IPC support to the IPC lead and availability of IPC advice and guidance, particularly during an outbreak. While the IPC Lead applies RAC perspectives with their unique expertise and experience in caring for the older person.