Infection prevention and control

Infection prevention and control is a priority at our hospitals to ensure our patients safety. Our success can be seen by our performance against our MRSA and Clostridium difficile targets and our consistently excellent performance against national cleanliness standards. We take infection prevention and control very seriously and this is particularly important during the winter when the highly contagious norovirus is prevalent.

Stop the spread of norovirus

There has been a recent rise in the number of reported cases of norovirus in London. If someone has this virus at home it is usually a mild, self-limiting illness that causes symptoms of diarrhoea and/or vomiting and generally resolves within 72 hours. It can, however, be difficult to contain in healthcare settings as the virus is very infectious and can spread quickly via the hands or in the air if the patient is vomiting.

Any person with diarrhoea and/or vomiting should not come to a hospital until 48 hours after their symptoms have passed.

Anyone visiting or working in a hospital without symptoms should always follow good hand hygiene (soap and water) practice when entering or exiting a clinical area.

It is a fundamental part of the everyday care of patients and every member of staff within the hospital is committed to upholding the high standard of infection control held by the hospital. 

Useful links for further information

For the most up to date information please refer to the links below:

• NHS Choices
• World Health Organisation
• National Travel Health Network and Centre
• MRSA information leaflet