Occupations and Terms of Reference › Infection prevention and control (IPC) lead
Universal terms of reference · POS-030 · version 1.0 · status: draft · next review 2027-10-27
Infection prevention and control (IPC) lead
To lead infection prevention and control, so that healthcare-associated infections are prevented, outbreaks are detected early, and staff and patients are protected.
Each part of this page links to the related trainings, competencies and policies. The links are the same for every facility, so an organisation can see at a glance what a role requires and what it is trained in.
Job description
Job summary. You lead infection prevention and control. You set the IPC programme, support hand hygiene and cleaning standards, investigate infections and outbreaks, and advise on isolation and vaccination.
Reports to: Quality manager.
Leads or supervises: IPC nurses and infection control champions.
What you do on a typical day
- Review infection surveillance data each week.
- Investigate infections and outbreaks.
- Audit hand hygiene and cleaning standards.
- Advise teams on isolation and precautions.
- Report IPC performance to the quality committee.
Working conditions and demands
- Outbreaks need fast, calm response.
- Works across all services and visitors.
- Handles confidential patient information.
What good looks like
- Surveillance is current and reviewed weekly.
- Outbreaks are contained quickly.
- Hand hygiene and cleaning audits meet standard.
Place in the organogram
Reporting line, from the top: see the organogram on the Occupations page. The lines above and below this role are listed in section 3.
1. Golden rules
These rules apply in every setting.
- Every decision that affects patient safety is made on evidence and recorded.
- Quality means the patient's experience as well as the clinical result; both are measured.
- Problems are reported early and without blame, and learned from.
- Standards are followed the same way on every shift and at every site.
- Every staff member can raise a concern without fear of reprisal.
- Improvement work is planned, measured and kept going until it is embedded.
- Data is used to improve care, and is protected while it is used.
- Where a standard cannot be met, the gap is recorded and escalated the same day.
2. Identification
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position code | POS-030 |
| ISCO-08 | 2221 (skill level 4) |
| ESCO | to map |
| Department | Quality and safety |
| Facility types | Hospital, Ambulatory, Transport, Medevac, Fitness, Aesthetic |
3. Reporting line and working relationships
Reports to: POS-024. Supervises: POS-031.
| Works with | Nature of the relationship |
|---|---|
| Quality manager | IPC programme within quality. |
| Chief nursing officer | Nursing practice and staffing. |
| Occupational health and safety officer | Staff exposure and vaccination. |
4. Key accountabilities
| Domain | Accountability | Evidence of delivery | Checked | Linked competencies | Linked trainings | Linked policies | Standards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPC programme | Runs the IPC programme and its annual plan. | Plan delivered; annual review done | Annually | C-01 | T-05 | POL-SAFEG | 2 |
| Surveillance | Reviews infection data and acts on it. | Weekly review recorded | Weekly | C-02 | T-07 | POL-INC | 2 |
| Outbreaks | Leads investigation and control of outbreaks. | Outbreak reports completed; control measures in place | As needed | C-02 | T-07 | POL-INC | 2 |
| Education and audit | Audits hand hygiene and cleaning, and provides teaching. | Audit results shared with teams monthly | Monthly | C-03 | T-08 | POL-SAFEG | 2 |
5. Decision rights
| The post holder decides | Consults or escalates |
|---|---|
| Isolation and precaution measures within national guidance | Outbreaks that need public health reporting (medical director and national authority) |
| Scope of IPC audits | Closure or restriction of a service (CEO and CQO) |
6. Qualifications and experience
| ID | Qualification | Mandatory | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q-01 | Registered nurse, midwife or doctor licence, current | Yes | per regulator |
| Q-02 | Infection prevention and control certificate | Yes | Lifetime |
| ID | Experience | Minimum years | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-01 | Infection prevention and control or clinical practice with IPC responsibility | 5 | Yes |
7. Training requirements
Recommended common practice. Each facility adapts the list to its national law. Essential items apply in every setting; recommended items apply where resources allow.
| ID | Training | Tier | When | Validity | Linked policies | Linked competencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-01 | Facility induction | essential | at_entry | Once | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL · POL-DATA | – |
| T-02 | Safeguarding adults | essential | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | POL-SAFEG | – |
| T-03 | Safeguarding children | essential | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | POL-SAFEG | – |
| T-04 | Data protection and confidentiality | essential | annual | Every 1 year(s) | POL-DATA | – |
| T-05 | Incident reporting and open disclosure | essential | periodic | Every 2 year(s) | POL-INC | C-01 |
| T-06 | Governance, accountability and assurance | recommended | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | – | – |
| T-07 | Emergency and major incident command | essential | annual | Every 1 year(s) | POL-INC | C-02 |
| T-08 | Speaking up, inclusion and equality leadership | essential | periodic | Every 2 year(s) | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL | C-03 |
8. Health, fitness and language
| ID | Requirement | Frequency | Tier | Minimum in low-resource settings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H-01 | Immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases relevant to the setting, documented at entry | At entry or as set | essential | Documented hepatitis B status at entry |
| H-02 | Tuberculosis screening at entry, then as the national rule requires | At entry or as set | essential | Symptom screening at entry and after exposure |
| H-03 | Fitness-to-work assessment at entry and after serious illness or injury | Every 12 months | recommended | Fitness check at entry |
| Language | Level | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|
| Official language of the country of practice | professional | Yes |
| English | working | Yes |
9. Competencies by level
| ID | Competency | Foundation | Practitioner | Expert | Assessed by | Revalidate | Linked trainings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C-01 | Infection prevention practice | Follows IPC procedures | Applies IPC in a service | Designs the IPC programme | IPC audit | Every 12 months | T-05 |
| C-02 | Infection surveillance and outbreak response | Reports infections | Investigates outbreaks | Leads outbreak response across services | Outbreak exercise | Every 12 months | T-07 |
| C-03 | Teaching hand hygiene and precautions | Follows teaching | Teaches teams | Designs IPC education | Education audit | Every 12 months | T-08 |
10. Performance evaluation
- Probation: 6 months, with a sign-off review (recommended value).
- Appraisal: every 12 months against the competencies and indicators below.
| ID | Indicator | Target | Data source | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PI-01 | Surveillance data reviewed weekly | 100% | surveillance log | Weekly |
| PI-02 | Hand hygiene audit compliance | set by facility | audit results | Monthly |
| PI-03 | Outbreaks investigated within 24 hours | 100% | outbreak log | As needed |
| PI-04 | IPC education sessions delivered | set by facility | education log | Quarterly |
11. Career ladder and promotion
| Level | Role | Minimum experience to move on | Qualifications | Competency minimums | Trainings required | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive | Infection prevention and control (IPC) lead | 5 years (recommended) | Q-01, Q-02 | C-01 expert, C-02 practitioner | T-05 · T-07 | Executive appointment and performance review |
12. Policies the post holder follows
Each policy is a standard template that the facility adopts and adapts. Templates are maintained centrally, so every facility works from the same version.
POL-SAFEG · Safeguarding adults and children
Purpose: Protect patients from abuse, neglect and harm, and make sure every concern is recognised and acted on.
Scope: All staff, volunteers and contractors.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff, volunteers and contractors.
Key rules:
- Recognise signs of abuse and neglect and record them factually.
- Report every concern to the designated safeguarding lead the same shift.
- Do not investigate alone.
- Share information only as the safeguarding procedure allows.
POL-DATA · Data protection and confidentiality
Purpose: Keep patient and staff information private, secure and used only for care and legal purposes.
Scope: All staff who access records or systems.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff who access records or systems.
Key rules:
- Access only the records needed for your work.
- Keep records secure; do not leave screens or paper unattended.
- Do not share information without a lawful basis.
- Report any breach to the data protection officer within 24 hours.
Linked trainings: T-10 · Review every 12 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-WHISTLE · Speaking up (whistleblowing)
Purpose: Let staff raise patient safety or conduct concerns without fear of reprisal.
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
- Raise a concern with your line manager or the named speaking-up officer.
- If that route fails, escalate to the board or the national regulator.
- Retaliation against anyone who speaks up is a disciplinary offence.
- Concerns are recorded, investigated and the outcome given to the person raising them.
Linked trainings: T-01 · Review every 12 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-EQUAL · Equality, diversity and inclusion
Purpose: Give every patient and colleague fair access, respectful treatment and reasonable adjustments.
Scope: All staff and patients.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff and patients.
Key rules:
- Treat every person with dignity regardless of background.
- Make reasonable adjustments, including interpreters, for language and disability.
- Report discrimination through the speaking-up route.
- Monitor access and outcomes by group.
Linked trainings: T-01 · Review every 24 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-INC · Incident reporting and open disclosure
Purpose: Report and learn from incidents and near misses, and tell patients honestly when things go wrong.
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
- Report every incident and near miss the same shift.
- Give the patient and family an honest account and an apology where appropriate (open disclosure).
- Take immediate action to protect others.
- Learn: contribute to the review and follow the agreed actions.
13. Standards that name this role
14. Record history
| Date | Change | Approved by |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-27 | Draft record, batch 1 of the position build | Awaiting approval |