Infection Prevention and Control Site Lead

Clinical Practice To work as a highly specialised member of the team, acting as an expert resource on infection prevention and control issues and provide evidence based infection prevention and control advice to promote best practice. To promote the reduction of healthcare associated infection across the Trust, through education, surveillance, audit, policy development/review and innovation. To be the (joint) site lead for ensuring that the Trust Wide Improvement Plan (TWIP) for Infection Prevention and Control Programme is completed for the site and the wider IPC/Decontamination portfolio as agreed. To be visible and accessible to all healthcare staff across all disciplines as an expert specialist resource, guide clinical staff to assess, plan, implement and evaluate care for patients with regard to infection prevention and control. Communication and Relationship Skills Demonstrate a high level of communication and interpersonal skills enabling negotiation and influence with all grades of multidisciplinary staff in complex situations involving sensitive issues across the organisation and beyond. Demonstrate the ability to receive and provide highly complex and sensitive and sometimes contentious information to patients, relatives, carers, members of the public and staff, where there may be significant barriers to acceptance/understanding, requiring negotiating, persuasive, reassurance skills. Diffuse potentially hostile and antagonistic situations with staff, patients and relatives, using highly developed negotiation and interpersonal skills. Required to develop and make formal presentations to large groups in a manner that is effective and credible. Analytical Skills To assess and interpret highly complex and sometimes conflicting information based on individual patient/environmental conditions and laboratory reports, e.g. the management of outbreaks. To make decisions regarding patient care (e.g. movement/transfer of patients with infections/communicable diseases, closure of wards, availability of isolation facilities) which involves assessing available resources. Planning and Organisational Skills Will deputise for the Deputy Director of Infection Prevention and Control as required. Plan and organise the complex workload of the site Infection Prevention and Control Team. A full list of responsibilities is available within the Job Description.