Infection Prevention and Control, Level 2

What it covers

What Level 2 adds for anyone who touches patients or clinical equipment: the routes infection takes inside a clinical room, and the precautions that go beyond the standard ones. Asepsis and the procedures a practice does aseptically, decontamination from a detergent wipe to a sterilised instrument, the waste and spills a clinical room makes, sharps and what follows an exposure, and specimens from the pot to the courier. Alert organisms, notifiable diseases, outbreaks, antimicrobial stewardship, and the audit and annual statement a practice is judged on.

Who it is for

GPs, practice nurses, healthcare assistants, phlebotomists, pharmacists, paramedics and trainees: anyone who touches patients or clinical equipment. Non-clinical staff take Level 1, whose outcomes this course includes.

By the end you will be able to

• Describe how infection travels in a clinic, and apply contact, droplet and airborne precautions.
• Use aseptic technique, and name the procedures your own practice does aseptically.
• Tell cleaning from disinfection from sterilisation, handle single use and reusable items, and sort waste.
• Use sharps safely, and act on an exposure, a specimen and your own immunisation.
• Manage alert organisms, notify on suspicion, and recognise an outbreak in the practice.
• Explain antimicrobial stewardship, infection audit and the annual statement a practice must produce.

Modules

1. How infection travels here
2. Hands, gloves and asepsis
3. Decontamination and instruments
4. Sharps, exposure and you
5. Alert organisms and duties

Level 2 includes the Level 1 outcomes, so a valid Level 2 certificate covers both. Clinical technique, from the hand wash to the aseptic procedure, is assessed in your practice rather than here, and your own infection prevention and control policy applies alongside this.

Content mapped to the learning outcomes of the Core Skills Training Framework (England) v1.1: Infection Prevention and Control, Level 2. Law named: Health and Social Care Act 2008, Code of Practice on the prevention and control of infections and related guidance.

Sources

• National infection prevention and control manual for England (NHS England, current version)
• Health and Social Care Act 2008: code of practice on the prevention and control of infections and related guidance (Department of Health and Social Care, updated 13 December 2022): the ten criteria, the four levels of decontamination, single-use devices, antimicrobial stewardship, and Appendix C for primary medical care including the annual statement
• GP mythbuster 99: Infection prevention and control in general practice (Care Quality Commission, page updated 15 December 2025): the IPC policy, the IPC lead, the audit programme, cleaning schedules, occupational health and Regulations 12 and 15
• Healthcare-associated infections: prevention and control in primary and community care, NICE clinical guideline CG139: what a healthcare associated infection is, when hands must be decontaminated, and the requirement that catheterisation and vascular access care use an aseptic technique
• Antimicrobial stewardship: systems and processes for effective antimicrobial medicine use, NICE guideline NG15 (18 August 2015): documenting the indication, back-up prescribing, self-limiting conditions and repeat antimicrobials
• Notifiable diseases and how to report them (UK Health Security Agency, updated 19 May 2026): notify on suspicion, telephone within 24 hours if urgent, online within 3 days for all cases, and the urgent or routine status of each disease
• The Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013, regulation 5 use and disposal, regulation 7 arrangements in the event of injury, and regulation 8 notification of injuries
• How to deal with an exposure incident (Health and Safety Executive, updated 18 March 2026): first aid after a sharps injury or splash, and the urgent clinical assessment that follows
• Managing the risk of needlestick or sharps injuries (Health and Safety Executive): risk assessment, safer sharps, training, and when a sharps injury is reportable under RIDDOR
• Immunisation of healthcare and laboratory staff: the green book, chapter 12 (UK Health Security Agency): routine vaccines and MMR, BCG, hepatitis B and the antibody check, influenza and varicella
• Integrated guidance on health clearance of healthcare workers and the management of healthcare workers living with bloodborne viruses (UK Advisory Panel, 2024 update): the definition of exposure prone procedures and the examples that are not exposure prone
• UKHSA guidance on the management of scabies cases and outbreaks in long-term care facilities and other closed settings (updated 29 April 2026): the outbreak definition, simultaneous treatment of contacts, two doses a week apart and the 24 hour rule
• Confronting antimicrobial resistance 2024 to 2029: the UK national action plan (Department of Health and Social Care, 8 May 2024), targets 4a and 4b
• Standard infection control precautions: national hand hygiene and personal protective equipment policy (NHS England): the ten elements and the duty to monitor compliance
• Packaging and transport requirements for patient samples, UN3373 (Department for Transport): triple packaging, absorbent material and the Biological Substance Category B mark
• Single-use medical devices: implications and consequences of reuse (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency): anyone who reprocesses or reuses a single-use device bears full responsibility for its safety and effectiveness
• TARGET antibiotics toolkit hub (Royal College of General Practitioners with the UK Health Security Agency): antibiotic stewardship tools, audits and patient leaflets for primary care
• Communicable disease outbreak management guidance: principles to support local health protection systems (UK Health Security Agency): the definition of an outbreak, and the incidents treated the same way
• Needlestick injuries and blood-borne viruses: decisions about testing adults who lack the capacity to consent (British Medical Association, May 2016): why the exposed worker does not hold the testing conversation with the source patient
• Guide to donning (putting on) and doffing (removing) PPE, non-AGP (UK Health Security Agency, updated 1 February 2024): the order each item goes on and comes off, and the hand hygiene between
• Core Skills Training Framework (England) v1.1 subject guide (Skills for Health, archived copy): the Infection Prevention and Control Level 1 and Level 2 learning outcomes and the refresher frequencies
• Immunisation procedures: the green book, chapter 4 (UK Health Security Agency): appropriate infection control and aseptic technique at every immunisation, and why residual product from a vial is not given to another patient
• Measles: frequently asked questions for primary care (NHS England, PRN01218): the fallow time before a room is cleaned, the 2 hour guide when air changes are unknown, and FFP3 respirators whatever the vaccination status
• Chain of infection, National Infection Prevention and Control Manual: care home manual (NHS National Services Scotland, ARHAI Scotland)
• Appendix 9: management of blood and body fluid spills (NHS England, national infection prevention and control manual)
• Appendix 10: management of occupational exposure incidents (National Infection Prevention and Control Manual, NHS National Services Scotland): first aid when the eyes or mouth are exposed
• Safe use of cleaning substances, Catering Information Sheet 22 (Health and Safety Executive): mixing bleach with acidic toilet cleaners or ammonia
• Managing pharmaceutical waste: unwanted medicines returned to a community pharmacy (NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service)
• Living safely with respiratory infections, including COVID-19 (UK Health Security Agency)

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GPAtlas is not accredited, verified or endorsed by Skills for Health or NHS England. Acceptance of this training is at the discretion of your employer, who remains responsible for confirming it meets local requirements. Your employer may require more frequent refreshers than the guidance period; the practice's own policy applies. Some pictures and films in our courses, and the film narration, are made with AI tools. We check every one for accuracy before we publish it.