This module aims to provide you with a range of expert knowledge and skills to initiate and facilitate service improvements in infection prevention and control to assure patient safety. This module will help you consolidate existing knowledge and skills and prepare you for greater responsibilities. It will enable you to take a strategic holistic view so that you can enhance and develop infection prevention and control practices.

By the end of the module, you will have developed your leadership knowledge and skills in infection prevention and control to inform improvements within your workplace setting.

Formative assessment

You will be asked to present an outline of your proposed service improvement project to the group.



Summative assessment:

You are required to develop a poster presentation on a service improvement project related to improving infection prevention and control (IPC) practices. The chosen project should consider standards IPC precautions, decontamination, or antimicrobial stewardship and address all the learning outcomes.



The presentation length will be 40 minutes, broken down as follows: 30 mins presentation and 10 minutes for questions.

Content will be delivered over 10 weeks via online lectures, tutorials and independent study.

Delivered content – 48 hours

Tutorials - 2 hours

Independent study - 150 hours



Delivered content will comprise:

Face to face, interactive lectures

Assignment preparation discussion

Simulation based learning.

Demonstrate a comprehensive and systematic understanding of the principles of infection prevention and control

Critically appraise and analyse current research and national guidelines in relation to the leadership and management of health care associated infection.

University Learning Outcome - Application, Knowledge, Understanding, Communication


Critically evaluate infection prevention and control practices to lead and sustain changes within the workplace.

University Learning Outcome - Application, Knowledge, Understanding, Communication


Critically evaluate infection prevention and control practices to lead and sustain changes within the workplace.

University Learning Outcome - Reflection, Learning, Problem Solving, Communication

Access to University Virtual Learning Platforms – Blackboard and Microsoft Teams, library resources

Access to care settings

Courtenay, M and Castro-Sanchez, E. (2020) Antimicrobial Stewardship for Nursing Practice. CABI: Oxfordshire.


Department of Health and Social Care. (2022) Health and Social Care Act 2008: code of practice on the prevention and control of infections. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-health-and-social-care-act-2008-code-of-practice-on-the-prevention-and-control-of-infections-and-related-guidance


NHS England. (2022) National infection prevention and control manual for England. Available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/PRN00123-national-infection-prevention-and-control-manual-for-england-v2.5.pdf

UK Health Security Agency (2023) Healthcare associated infections (HCAI): guidance, data and analysis. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/healthcare-associated-infections-hcai-guidance-data-and-analysis

Wilson, J. (2018) Infection Control in Clinical Practice (3rd edn) Elsevier limited.

Building on your existing knowledge you will recognise, interpret, apply and disseminate the principles of infection prevention and control, linking science and clinical practice together to understand the challenges around antimicrobial use and the behaviours in practice to empower you to improve patient/service user care within your workplace setting.