New IPC guidance for adult social care

What's been published

The new resource is called "Infection prevention and control (IPC) in adult social care (ASC)". It was developed by UKHSA and commissioned by DHSC. It's organised as a set of chapters rather than one long document. The chapters cover:

background, roles and responsibilities, and why IPC matters;
standard infection control precautions and transmission-based precautions;
the fundamentals of care that help prevent infections;
vaccinations for staff and for people receiving care;
managing outbreaks;
an A–Z of infections of concern, plus separate chapters on tuberculosis and on suspected infectious diarrhoea and vomiting;
IPC considerations for clinical procedures;
staff health and managing sickness;
extra information and resources for managers.

UKHSA says the guidance should be applied proportionately: care settings are designed to be homely, with soft furnishings and shared spaces, and IPC has to balance safety with dignity and wellbeing.

What it says on outbreaks and staff sickness

What counts as an outbreak: the guidance defines an outbreak as two or more people with the same infection who are linked in time and place, or by a common exposure.
Reporting: concerns should go to a care manager and a healthcare professional or GP straight away. Outbreaks should be reported quickly, and concerns should also go to the local UKHSA health protection team or IPC team for advice and support.
Diarrhoea and vomiting: care and support workers who develop symptoms should stay off work until they've been free of symptoms for 48 hours. Residents who are unwell are encouraged to stay away from others until they've been symptom-free for 48 hours.
Respiratory infections: staff with a high temperature, or who aren't well enough to work, should stay away until the temperature has gone and they've recovered enough to return. Staff with only mild symptoms, such as a runny nose, sore throat or mild cough, who are otherwise well enough to work, don't usually need to stay away.
Managers' role: the guidance asks registered managers to support staff to report symptoms and to stay away from work when needed.

The legal and inspection picture

The guidance sits alongside the Health and Social Care Act 2008 code of practice on the prevention and control of infections, which applies to all CQC-registered providers. UKHSA notes that inspectors consider how providers prevent and control infection and may refer to the code of practice when assessing compliance. It lists what good practice looks like for managers, including:

up-to-date IPC policies;
IPC training on induction and refreshers;
outbreak plans that staff understand;
IPC audits whose findings are acted on.

The older 2022 and 2013 documents were still online when we checked on 28 October 2026. The new resource says it updates them.

What this means for your service

Policies: check your IPC policy, outbreak plan and staff sickness rules against the new chapters, especially the outbreak definition, the reporting steps and the staff exclusion table.
Training: make sure IPC is in your induction and refresher plan; see our guide to mandatory training for care staff.
Contacts: know who your local UKHSA health protection team and community IPC team are before you need them.
Supported living and day services: the guidance includes practical adaptations for these settings and for care in someone's own home, where staff don't control the environment.
Vaccinations: the vaccinations chapter is a good moment to check uptake against this winter's vaccines for staff and residents.
Don't panic: much of the core advice, such as hand hygiene, PPE, cleaning and the 48-hour rule after diarrhoea and vomiting, will be familiar. The main change is that it's now all in one place.