Infection Control Competency Assessment Tool

Effective infection prevention and control (IPC) is fundamental to resident safety in aged care. This competency assessment tool helps aged care providers verify that all staff can implement standard precautions, use PPE correctly, manage outbreaks and meet their obligations under Standard 5 of the Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards.

Published

May 29, 2026

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.

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