Maintain Infection prevention and control in a care setting — Awarding Body for the Built Environment Occupational Qualification Health & Social Care Revision
This subtopic focuses on the critical role of healthcare support workers in preventing and controlling infections within maternity care settings. It covers
Topic Synopsis
This subtopic focuses on the critical role of healthcare support workers in preventing and controlling infections within maternity care settings. It covers understanding the chain of infection, standard and transmission-based precautions, and the practical application of measures such as hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment, safe handling of sharps and waste, and environmental decontamination, all tailored to protecting vulnerable mothers and newborns from healthcare-associated infections.
Key Concepts & Core Principles
- Antenatal care: routine checks, screening tests, and health promotion for pregnant women, including monitoring blood pressure, urine analysis, and fetal growth.
- Postnatal care: supporting mother and baby after birth, including perineal care, breastfeeding support, and recognition of postpartum haemorrhage or infection.
- Infant feeding: benefits of breastfeeding, formula preparation, and safe storage; assisting with positioning and attachment.
- Newborn screening: heel prick test (Guthrie test), newborn hearing screening, and physical examination within 72 hours of birth.
- Safeguarding: recognising signs of domestic abuse, child protection issues, and vulnerable adults; following local safeguarding policies.
Exam Tips & Revision Strategies
- When providing written or reflective evidence, always reference specific infection control policies (local or national) and explain the rationale behind each action, showing application of theory to practice in a maternity context.
- Use clear, descriptive examples from your work in maternity support, detailing exactly what you did, why you did it, and the outcome, to demonstrate competency across a range of infection prevention tasks.
- During observations, ensure your assessor sees consistent application of infection control principles in real-time, not only in planned assessments but throughout daily routines, particularly hand hygiene moments.
- Prepare for professional discussion by revising key principles such as COSHH, RIDDOR, and the roles of different agencies (e.g., Infection Prevention Team), and how you collaborate with them in your setting.
- If submitting a portfolio, include evidence of learning, such as certificates for infection control training, and link these to your practice to show ongoing development.
Common Misconceptions & Mistakes to Avoid
- Confusing standard precautions with transmission-based precautions, leading to inadequate measures for cases requiring enhanced isolation (e.g., COVID-19 positive mother in labour).
- Assuming that wearing gloves replaces the need for hand hygiene, omitting hand washing before gloving and after glove removal.
- Neglecting to change PPE between different care activities with the same patient, such as moving from perineal care to infant handling without changing gloves and apron.
- Misunderstanding the sterile versus clean technique, for example, using a clean but non-sterile approach when assisting with an invasive procedure like catheterisation.
- Overlooking infection risks in seemingly low-risk tasks, such as not cleaning a breast pump properly between uses or not disposing of milk-soaked pads appropriately.
- Failing to recognise that jewellery, long nails, or artificial nails can harbour pathogens and compromise hand hygiene effectiveness.
Examiner Marking Points
- Award credit for demonstrating a clear understanding of the chain of infection and explaining own role in breaking the chain at each stage, with specific examples from maternity care (e.g., hand hygiene before newborn handling, correct disposal of contaminated linen).
- Expect evidence of correctly performing hand hygiene in line with WHO '5 moments' and local policies, including the rationale for technique and duration, especially before and after contact with mothers and infants.
- Look for competent selection and use of appropriate PPE (gloves, aprons, masks) based on risk assessment for procedures such as assisting with delivery, handling bodily fluids, or caring for a mother with a known infection.
- Require demonstration of safe handling and disposal of sharps and clinical waste, following correct procedures to minimise risk of injury and cross-contamination in the maternity unit.
- Assess ability to maintain a clean and safe environment, including proper cleaning and disinfection of equipment and surfaces between patients, with attention to high-touch areas and maternity-specific items like birthing pools.
- Check understanding of reporting mechanisms and own responsibility in escalating infection risks or breaches, including documentation and communication with the multidisciplinary team.