Infection Control Competency Assessment Tool for Aged Care
Infection prevention and control (IPC) is a non-negotiable area of clinical practice in aged care. The vulnerability of older people to infectious diseases — including influenza, COVID-19, scabies, gastroenteritis and respiratory pathogens — means that every staff member must understand and consistently apply IPC principles. This competency assessment tool supports aged care providers to verify staff capability and maintain compliance with Standard 5 of the Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards.
What This Training Covers
- The chain of infection and how to break it
- Standard precautions — hand hygiene, PPE, sharps safety, respiratory etiquette
- Hand hygiene — the five moments, correct technique, WHO guidelines
- Donning and doffing PPE — the correct sequence
- Transmission-based precautions — contact, droplet and airborne
- Outbreak management — identifying, declaring and containing
- Environmental cleaning and waste management
- Vaccination requirements for aged care workers
- Infection control in food handling and laundry
Key Learning Outcomes
- Apply standard precautions consistently in all care interactions
- Perform correct hand hygiene using the WHO five moments framework
- Don and doff PPE in the correct sequence without contamination
- Identify the signs of an outbreak and follow the facility's outbreak management plan
- Document IPC incidents and breaches appropriately
Who Should Complete This Training
All aged care staff without exception — clinical, personal care, kitchen, laundry, maintenance and administration. Annual competency assessment is required. Additional assessment is required following outbreak events or significant IPC breaches.
Alignment to the Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards
Directly aligned to Standard 5 (Clinical Care), which requires systematic infection prevention and control, and Standard 3 (The Care Environment), which mandates a clean, safe and well-maintained care environment. Providers must have an up-to-date IPC programme reviewed annually.
Keep IPC Competency Records Current with Governa
Governa tracks staff IPC training completion, links assessments to your IPC policy and alerts managers when annual re-assessment is due. Ask Norma to pull your IPC programme guidelines at any time.
