When you work in aged care settings in Australia, infection control is not just a nice-to-have. It is essential to keep residents safe, staff confident, and regulators happy. You need a clear plan. A document you can open at any time and know what to do. In this blog page, you will find what to include in your infection control policy template. This advice is for aged care providers, nursing home managers, compliance officers, healthcare administrators, aged care workers, or aged care consultants. We will walk you through what your template should look like, step by step.

1. Why an Infection Control Policy Matters

You may ask, “Why do I need a document that spells out infection control?” The answer is simple. An infection control policy is your roadmap when spores hit the fan. It protects residents if COVID nineteen, influenza or gastro run through your hallways. Regulators in Australia expect this. Failing to meet that expectation is a big deal. Your team needs a clear set of rules, guidance, and a plan of action. That is exactly what your infection control policy delivers.

2. Scope: Who and What Is Covered

First thing you need to define is your scope. Your template must state:

1. Who it applies to: staff, residents, visitors, volunteers, contractors.
   
2. What settings you cover: communal dining rooms, bedrooms, therapy rooms, laundry, transport.
   
3. What infections you will address: respiratory, bloodborne, contact, gastrointestinal.
   

That tells everyone: “This document is meant for you—and this is what you are looking for.”

3. Policy Purpose and Objectives

Next section: purpose and objectives. You will want to be clear, precise, and direct. For example:

• The purpose of this policy is to prevent, identify and manage infections in aged care.
  
• Objectives include reducing infection spread, guiding staff promptly, and complying with Australian standards.
  

Those bullet points sound simple. But they pack real impact. They act as guiding stars when you feel lost.

4. Roles and Responsibilities

Who is in charge of infection safety? You need to spell out clear roles, such as:

• Infection Control Officer (ICO): Oversees infection prevention practices, training, audits.
  
• Executive Team: Provide resources, support advice, and evaluate outbreak responses.
  
• Care Staff and Nurses: Follow hygiene protocols, report infections.
  
• Support Staff and Contractors: Clean surfaces, use equipment safely.
  
• Visitors and Volunteers: Follow facility rules—handwashing, mask wearing if needed.
  

This section removes guesswork. Everyone knows what they own.

5. Infection Prevention Measures

This is the heart of your policy. It must cover:

5.1 Hand Hygiene

Your policy should say: “Hand hygiene is the single most effective infection prevention measure.” Describe when to clean hands: before caring, after touching blood or body fluids, after waste disposal, before eating, after toilet tasks, after touching surfaces like bed rails. Mention Australian Hand Hygiene Initiative guidelines.

5.2 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Describe the required PPE based on situation: gloves, gowns, masks, eye protection. Include instructions for donning and doffing. Explain when to use which type. For instance, when caring for a resident with suspected respiratory infection, you must wear a surgical mask and gloves.

5.3 Environmental Cleaning

Outline cleaning schedules for common areas. Detail frequency—daily, after spillage, weekly deep clean. Mention approved disinfectants (e.g. diluted bleach, quaternary ammonium solutions). Include laundry handling: use gloves when sorting used linen and wash at high temperature.

5.4 Vaccination

Recommend vaccination for staff: influenza, COVID nineteen, whooping cough. Provide evidence for why flu shots reduce outbreaks in aged care. Describe how to document vaccination status and follow up.

5.5 Physical Distancing and Resident Cohorting

Explain how to reorganize dining rooms, activities, or group rooms during flu season. Describe how to separate infected residents—cohorting or isolation protocols. This helps stop chain reactions.

6. Outbreak Management Plan

When an outbreak occurs—be it norovirus or COVID nineteen—you must know what comes next.

6.1 Outbreak Definition

Define what counts as an outbreak. Example: two or more linked cases of the same infection in residents or staff within a defined timeframe. Queensland Health defines norovirus as outbreak with three cases within seventy-two hours. An outbreak definition from your state health department applies.

6.2 Immediate Response

As soon as there is an outbreak:

• Notify ICO and Executive.
  
• Contact your local Public Health Unit.
  
• Start enhanced hygiene: masks, gloves, PPE.
  
• Limit new admissions and visitors.
  
• Begin daily case logs, noting onset, symptoms, tests.
  
• Use signage near nursing stations, dining areas, lifts.
  

6.3 Contact Tracing and Staff Management

Record who visited the affected resident and when. Isolate symptomatic staff. Consider sending staff home and supervising. Keep a roster of staff that's free of symptoms. Conduct screening for fever and respiratory signs.

6.4 Communication Plan

You must tell everyone: families, staff, public health. This builds trust. Provide updates every day or two. Use phone, email, or posted notices. Always include basic information: number of cases, affected areas, timeframe of outbreak. Keep personal information confidential.

6.5 Termination of Outbreak

Work with your local health authority to verify outbreak is over. Usually defined by no new cases after two incubation periods (e.g., forty-eight hours for gastro). Document your decision. Continue regular surveillance for at least another seven days.

7. Surveillance and Reporting

Ongoing monitoring matters. Your template should require:

• Daily signs checks: temperature, cough, diarrhea.
  
• Weekly audits on hand hygiene and environmental cleaning.
  
• Incident reports when a staff member or resident is diagnosed with a notifiable disease.
  

Include a simple table log example: Date / Name / Symptoms / Action Taken. These reports help spot infection trends before they flash into outbreaks.

8. Training and Education

Your policy must outline:

1. Initial staff training on infection control on first day.
   
2. Refresher sessions at least yearly or whenever guidelines change.
   
3. Testing knowledge via quizzes or observed practical skills—like hand washing and PPE donning.
   

Including all staff—even kitchen, maintenance, admin—is vital. They contribute to the infection control environment, however indirectly.

9. Documentation and Record Keeping

Your template should show what paperwork to maintain:

• Vaccination records for staff and consenting residents.
  
• Training attendance sheets and quiz results.
  
• Audit reports (hand hygiene, cleaning).
  
• Outbreak logs and communication notes.
  
• Equipment inventories and disinfectant material datasheets.
  

Organise these records in a central binder or secure digital folder. Make sure you keep them for the required retention time—usually several years under aged care regulations.

10. Links to Standards and Guidance

Point your users to:

• Australian Government Department of Health guidance.
  
• Local state or territory health department directives.
  
• Australian Aged Care Quality Standards (Quality Standard 3).
  
• Hand Hygiene Australia.
  
• Infection prevention reference material.
  

Linking to reliable sources helps staff gain confidence and supports your audits and compliance checks.

11. Emergency Supplies and Equipment

Include lists of must‑have stockpiles:

• Gloves, masks, gowns in adequate sizes.
  
• Hand sanitizer dispensers around facility.
  
• Soap and paper towels.
  
• Disinfectants, wipes, bleach.
  
• Thermometers and temperature log sheets.
  

Consider a minimum store level (e.g., two weeks normal usage plus extra for outbreak) and review stock monthly.

12. Integration with Governa AI Tools

This is where Governa AI steps in. If you use Governa AI value‑added platform, you can:

• Access ready‑made aged care policy templates, including infection control.
  
• Maintain version control—everyone sees the same current copy.
  
• Automate reminders for reviews, training, and audits.
  
• Use built‑in audit checklists and reporting dashboards.
  

That helps you keep your policy alive—not stuck in a dusty folder. You can find those resources on the Governa AI Policy Templates page.

13. Review and Approval Process

Every policy needs sign‑off. Spell out:

• Who writes and who reviews — your Infection Control Officer drafts it.
  
• Who approves — typically the Executive or Board.
  
• Effective date and policy version number.
  
• How reviews are tracked and recorded.
  

This section stops your policy being forgotten. It lives actively.

14. Call To Action

As an aged care leader in Australia, your duty is to protect residents and staff from infection risks. You now have the structure to develop an infection control policy template with infection prevention steps, outbreak management, monitoring, training, review, and governance. If you want a well‑designed document that adapts to your needs and keeps updating with new standards, head to the Governa AI Policy Templates page.

Your Next Step

You now know exactly what to include. It is time to:

1. Gather your leadership team.
   
2. Fill in each section.
   
3. Get staff feedback.
   
4. Conduct a mock outbreak drill.
   
5. Roll it out—train your team, publish the document, store physical and digital copies.
   

Let the policy guide your daily care and be ready if an infection threat arrives.

Download a tailored infection control policy template now. Visit Governa AI Policy Templates and take the next step toward confident, informed care.