Understanding the…���Rihette Lodewyk�AD: IPC�Standards Compliance��24 August 2026��

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

1

www.health.fs.gov.za

International Goals and Regulations

2

www.health.fs.gov.za

Legislative and Strategic Mandates

3

www.health.fs.gov.za

Legislative and Strategic Mandates

4

www.health.fs.gov.za

Guiding principles

IPC implementation is relevant to health system strengthening and patient safety.

• Implementation will have a direct impact on the burden of HAIs and AMR, including outbreaks of highly transmissible diseases.
• Access to healthcare services which are designed and managed to minimise the risks of avoidable HAIs for patients and health workers is a basic human right.
• Effective and integrated IPC is a public health issue and contributes significantly to strengthening core capacities and health service resilience within the context of the IHR. (International Health Regulations of 2005)
• The prevention and control of HAIs is a significant contributor to the achievement of the Strategic Development Goals. (UN 2015)
• Effective IPC is a key determinant of the quality of health service delivery to achieving people-centred, integrated Universal Health Coverage (UHC)

Adherence to the core components of IPC programmes described within this strategic framework is a mechanism to apply these guiding principles.

5

www.health.fs.gov.za

6

www.health.fs.gov.za

IPC at Provincial Level

• Provide strategic direction
• Provide technical support and mentorship to the district structures.
• Provide technical input on specification for IPC equipment and materials
• Plan and coordinate IPC training
• Develop locally relevant IPC policies/guidelines/standard operating procedures.
• Give guidance to facilities/districts regarding the allocation of funds required to support the implementation.
• Review the data on HAIs towards strengthening implementation strategies, report to NDOH
• Provide feedback to the Districts from the National IPC structures.
• Have mechanisms in place to set up alert systems and identify outbreaks in the facility.
• Support provincial CDC units and local government to:
• Develop provincial preparedness plans to respond to facility outbreaks timeously.
• Develop locally relevant guidelines in times of crisis or outbreaks specific to the province;
• Establish and maintain relationships with other departments at the provincial level e.g. Engineering, Public Works, WASH, Environmental Health, academic institutions and EMS.
• Continuously monitor and evaluate IPC programmes.

7

www.health.fs.gov.za

Functions of the District IPC Program

• Provide technical support and mentorship
• Ensure that budgets are established to support the implementation of IPC activities.
• Monitor that IPC equipment and materials are available.
• Plan and coordinate IPC training.
• Provide guidance with development and review of facility IPC SOPs.
• Provide input within the district - surveillance, prevention, investigation and control of infectious disease in the community.
• Assist with the containment of community outbreaks to prevent further transmission
• Review the data on HAIs towards strengthening implementation strategies.
• Submit quarterly HAI surveillance reports to the provincial office.
• Identify outbreaks and set up alert systems in health facilities.
• Provide input towards the development of district preparedness plans/SOPs to respond to outbreaks timeously.
• Monitor and audit IPC standards and practices in health facilities.

8

www.health.fs.gov.za

Hospital IPC program

Depends on the type and level of hospital.

The minimum core membership should include:

• Facility administrator/manager/chief executive office
• Heads of clinical teams
• IPC team or practitioner
• Microbiologist
• Housekeeping supervisor
• Pharmacist
• Environmental health practitioner
• Head of nursing
• Maintenance/Infrastructure
• Other members can be co-opted as necessary

9

www.health.fs.gov.za

Functions of the IPC program �Hospital level

• Coordinate the IPC Committee and report on recent IPC events and KPIs
• Liaise with teams in order to prevent, control and reduce HAIs
• Compile IPC SOPs - evidence based and in line with provincial/district policies/SOPs
• Provide input into funding needs and budgets for IPC activities
• Ensure that equipment and materials for IPC are available;
• Train and teach clinical and non-clinical teams in evidence-based IPC practices;
• Attend clinical ward rounds and advise on IPC matters;
• Submit monthly HAI data to the provincial/district office and AMS;
• Ensure that notifiable medical conditions (NMCs) are reported timeously; and
• Support the monitoring and evaluation of procedures and practices in the health facility:
• Conduct regular IPC audits (e.g. hand hygiene, environmental cleaning, compliance to transmission-based precautions and bundle compliance); and
• Identify gaps and develop and implement continuous quality improvement plans.
• Improve self-knowledge and keep abreast of new evidence in IPC.

10

www.health.fs.gov.za

IPC at PHC

All PHC facilities and long-term care facilities should have a delegated health care professional overseeing IPC practices.

• The health care professional should be trained on basic IPC principles.
• PHC IPC indicators:
• % Compliance to the 5 most important moments of hand hygiene
• % Compliance to environmental cleanliness
• Number of resistant pathogens cultured per month
• Number of personnel trained on IPC Standard precautions
• Report to district and province quarterly

11

www.health.fs.gov.za

IPC guidelines 1 - Standard Precautions!

• hand hygiene;
• appropriate use of personal protective equipment;
• patient placement;
• appropriate use of antiseptics, disinfectants and detergents;
• decontamination of medical devices;
• safe handling of linen and laundry;
• health care waste management;
• respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette;
• environmental cleaning;
• principles of asepsis;
• injection safety, prevention of injuries from sharp instruments, post-exposure prophylaxis and medical surveillance.

12

www.health.fs.gov.za

IPC guidelines 2

• Transmission-based precautions
• Built environment and infrastructure for IPC;
• Surveillance of HAIs;
• Antimicrobial stewardship;
• Outbreak response;
• Reporting of notifiable medical conditions;
• Education and training of staff and IPC staff;
• Monitoring and evaluation.

13

www.health.fs.gov.za

IPC education and training

14

www.health.fs.gov.za

National IPC curriculum structure�FS IPC training curriculum

15

www.health.fs.gov.za

HAI Surveillance

The Norms and Standards Regulations Applicable to Different Categories of Health Establishments

Surveillance of the following HAIs, at hospitals and long term care facilities:

• Bloodstream infections (BSI)
• Central line-associated blood stream infection (CLABSI)
• Peripheral line-associated bloodstream infections (PLABSI)
• Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI)
• Surgical site infections (SSI)
• Ventilator-associated pneumonias (VAP)

Other HAIs monitored in FS and reported:

• Gastro-intestinal infections, e.g. Clostridioides difficile, Rota
• Skin and soft tissue infections, e.g. septic decubitus ulcer
• Some CAIs to identify possible community outbreaks

​

FS Approved SOP on HAI surveillance with standardized case definitions available

16

www.health.fs.gov.za

IPC Core Component 5� Multi-model strategies for quality improvement

Separate presentation

17

www.health.fs.gov.za

Workload, staffing and bed occupancy

18

www.health.fs.gov.za

Built environment, materials and equipment for IPC at the health facility

19

www.health.fs.gov.za

20

www.health.fs.gov.za