Senior Infection Control Coordinator

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ROLE SUMMARY

The role of the Head of Infection Control is to manage, oversee and advice Infection Control Coordinators in the prevention, identification, and control of infections in patients and staff.
The incumbent will further be accountable for the planning, development, and implementation of an infection control programme for the hospital using basic infection control standards.

KEY WORK OUTPUT AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

CONSISTANCY OF CARE

Administration

• Ensure regular infection control committee meetings and document the proceedings.
• Ensure the maintaining of an up-to-date infection control file that is available and accessible to all nursing and house-keeping staff.
• Oversee the revision of all policies, procedures, and standards regularly.

Facility and Equipment Management

• Accountable to ensure the provision of protective clothing for all staff and members of the public when needed.
• Accountable to supply appropriate and reliable disinfectants, sterilants and monitoring equipment and ensure that nursing and other staff understand the use of these items.
• Obtain and maintain knowledge of Regulation 158 and provide active input on all building, renovations, and soft upgrades within the hospital.

Financial Management

• Compile and manage the budget of the department in such a way as to ensure cost effective quality care.
• Manage all costs emanating from the department.

DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION

Infection Control Management

• Accountable to ensure all hospital employees are assisted in managing the prevention, identification, and control of infections in patients and staff.
• Manage the planning, development, and implementation of an infection control programme for the hospital using basic infection control standards.
• Responsible to the hospital management for reporting on a regular basis all infections in the hospital.
• Manage and oversee the review of environmental hygiene, cleanliness, the care of linen and waste on a regular basis and document results for discussion with hospital management.
• Notify the Department of Health timeously of diseases where applicable.
• Manage and oversee the planning and implementation the procedure used to identify and investigate an outbreak of infection (either community or hospital acquired) using accepted infection control standards.
• Manage the implementation, when needed, of isolation protocols that are effective and understandable to all hospital personnel.
• Accountable to maintain written and acceptable protocols for infectious diseases including VHF, SARS, and Meningitis.
• Accountable for the availability of all equipment needed for infectious diseases.
• Differentiate among colonisation, infection, and contamination.
• Identify occurrence, reservoirs, incubation periods, periods of communicability, modes of transmission, signs and symptoms and susceptibility associated with the disease process.
• Interpret results of diagnostic/laboratory results.
• Recognise limitations and advantages of type of tests used to diagnose infectious processes.
• Recognise epidemiologically significant organisms for immediate review and investigation.
• Differentiate among prophylactic, empiric and therapeutic use of antimicrobials.
• Identify indications for environmental microbiological monitoring.
• Co-ordinate implementation of appropriate infection control isolation protocol.
• Conduct risk assessments for the site.
• Develop, evaluate, and revise goals and objectives for infection prevention.
• Recommend specific equipment, personnel and resources for the infection prevention and control program.
• Recommend changes in practice based on clinical outcome and financial implications.
• Conduct FAD rounds with hospital Exco and cleaning site managers.
• Active liaising with bed-bookings person and UMs with regards to appropriate and timeous isolation and co-horting of colonised or infected patients.
• Conduct cost analysis of outbreaks.
• Liaise with Clinical Pharmacist with regards to antibiotic stewardship.
• Attend and contribute to microbiology and AB stewardship rounds.
• Provide guidance for cleaning, disinfection, and decontamination.
• Revise all policies, procedures, and standards regularly.

Patient Care

• Practice patient care according to the Scope of Practice and assume total responsibility for these activities.
• Contribute to the holistic care of patients.
• Accountable for handover of report at shift commencement.
• Oversee effective communication with patients regarding their care.
• Promote patient health and wellbeing.
• Promote and maintain good public relations with patients, relatives and visitors.
• Address and resolve all complaints from patients and doctors.
• Manage and ensure all departmental duties are performed.
• Oversee and manage the delivery of evidence-based nursing care.
• Ensure that all patients have an appropriate nursing care plan.
• Communicate with Health Care Practitioners regarding any change in health status.
• Accountable to ensure that all medication are administered and stored in accordance with the Netcare policy.

Surveillance and epidemiologic investigations

• Design surveillance systems.
• Collect and compile surveillance data and monitor the capturing of data onto the electronic platform.
• Manage the incoming alerts and isolates on the electronic system through delegation and liaison with IPC team.
• Interpret surveillance data and identify trends.
• Develop action plans and PDSA improvement cycles together with Unit Managers based on trends identified.
• Identify infection risks and develop and audit general Quality Programmes and PDSAs.
• Validate statistics prior to submission to Hospital Exco and Netcare Head Office IPC.
• Conduct outbreak investigation.
• Act as a moderator by checking hygiene, BCA, Hand hygiene and Superbug bundle audits submitted.
• Compile and implement HBA biannual hospital report and HIRA (hazard identification & risk assessment) on all HBAs within the hospital and submits report and risk ranking to Head Office every two years.
• Oversee training and auditing of Laundry and linen IPC processes.

Quality management

• Accountable for the implementation of a written quality insurance programme for infection control after a base line survey and that evaluation and remedial measure are in place.
• Co-ordinate and drive quality improvement in infection prevention and control.
• Demonstrate QIP projects utilising the quality methodology.

Research activities

• Active involvement in research activities to discover new knowledge about products, processes, and services, and then applying that knowledge to create new and improved products, processes, and services that meet the hospital needs.
• Apply critical reading skills to evaluate research findings.
• Incorporate research findings into practice through education and consultation.
• Motivate and encourage staff to participate in research within their Scope of Practice.

TRANSFORMATION OF OUR SOCIETY

Teamwork and People Management

• Actively provide leadership to the team to achieve goals. Create an environment where staff are aware of the role they play in the provision of quality nursing care and their value to the organization.
• Assign decision making, authority, tasks, and responsibility to appropriate persons in order to maximize organisation and employee effectiveness.
• Develop a talented nursing workforce.
• Co-operate with Netcare Education Division to ensure appropriate nursing training for the delivery of quality care.
• Facilitate a culture that is supportive of talent management and the initiation of required implementations to hone nursing talent.
• Monitor staff attendance and/or absenteeism and ensure action is taken accordingly.
• Enforce staff dress code within and on leaving the Hospital.
• Facilitate effective change and conflict management.
• Orientation of new staff and students.
• Facilitate staff development both personal and professional.
• Coaching and mentoring of staff.
• Ensure professional conduct and appearance of staff.
• Promote staff wellbeing within the team and the hospital as a whole.

Education and training facilitation

• Manage and ensure the facilitation of Infection Control as a topic in the hospital orientation programme at all levels and document attendance of training.
• Oversee the development and facilitation of Infection Control in-service training programmes based on a needs analysis and evaluate the training regularly.
• Manage and ensure the introduction of a programme for the use of new products and equipment from an infection control viewpoint.
• Prepare, present or co-ordinate educational workshops, lectures, discussion, orientation programs and individual discussions on a variety of infection prevention and control topics.
• Provide information on the topic to patients, family and general public when required.

Personal and professional development

• Active involvement in own professional development to maintain a satisfactory level of skill and knowledge.
• Keep up to date with Netcare’s evolving policies and procedures.
• Attend infection control related seminars to improve own knowledge.
• Keep abreast of current research in the applicable discipline.

Build and maintain stakeholder relationships

• Work effectively and co-operatively with the management team and other stakeholders to establish and maintain good working relationships that are mutually beneficial.
• Create and maintain a positive environment where the differences of others are recognized, understood, and valued, so that all can reach their full potential and maximize their contributions.
• Develop collaborative relationships to help accomplish work goals.
• Maintain customer intimacy through building relationships with doctors, nursing staff, suppliers and building patient loyalty.
• Build strategic inter-departmental relationships to help achieve business goals at Exco and departmental level within the hospitals.
• Collaborate with risk management and quality management in the identification and review of adverse events.

SKILLS PROFILE

EDUCATION

Required

• Registration with the South African Nursing Council as a registered Nurse or equivalent NQF level 7 qualification.
• Compliance with the SANC Scope of Practise for a Registered Nurse and all other applicable Health Care Legislation.
• One year Post Basic Diploma in Infection control.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Required

• Intermediate computer proficiency in the Microsoft Office Suite.
• 2 to 3 years’ experience in an Infection Control environment

Preferred

• 4 – 6 Years Financial Budgeting and Management experience.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• In the event of any physical or psychological limitation that may impair the employee’s ability to perform the required job function, the employee must consult the employer for reasonable accommodation.

SKILLS

Coaching Others

• The capacity to recognise development areas in others and support them to facilitate personal development through coaching.

Leading and Managing Change

• The capacity to implement and support change initiatives and to provide leadership in times of uncertainty.

Performance Development

• The ability to evaluate and develop different levels of capacity within a team to achieve set objectives.

Taking Action

• Capable of recognising the need for action, considering possible risks and taking responsibility for results.

Decision Making

• Capable of making decisions timeously and taking responsibility for the consequences.

Managing Self

• Capacity to plan, organise and control own work environment by setting appropriate priorities and achieving set objectives within a given time frame.

Customer Focus and Service Delivery

• The capacity to identify and respond to the needs of internal and external customers.

Adapting and Responding to Change

• Capable of supporting and advocating change initiatives and managing own reaction to change.

Continuous Improvement

• The capacity to improve systems and processes to facilitate continuous improvement.

Technical Knowledge

• The capacity to perform a technical function to required standards.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Professional flexibility in working hours while supporting daily business operations which may include weekends and night shifts where applicable.
• Will interact with internal and external customers through several different means.

NETCARE VALUES AND BEHAVIOURS

Netcare Values
At Netcare, our core value is care. We care about the dignity of our patients and all members of the Netcare family. We care about the participation of our people and our partners in everything we do. We care about truth in all our actions. We are passionate about quality care and professional excellence.

• At Netcare, our core value is care.
• We care about the dignity of our patients and all members of the Netcare family.
• We care about the participation of our people and our healthcare partners in everything that we do.
• We care about the truth in all our actions.
• We listen with empathy and respond with acts of compassion in all interactions with our patients and their families.

The Netcare Way

Netcare is committed to providing quality care. Our basic service standard holds us accountable for the below seven behaviours which you will be accountable to uphold:

• Respect - I always greet everyone to show my respect.
• Identity - I always wear my name badge to show my identity.
• Dignity - I always treat others with consideration and humility to uphold dignity
• Care - I always act in the best interest of Netcare and others to show I care
• Compassion - I always listen with empathy and respond with kind action to show my compassion
• Appreciation - I always say thank you to show my appreciation.
• Diversity- I always embrace diversity to strengthen inclusivity and belonging.

Join the team committed to providing the best and safest health and care.