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Chapter 4 of the Public Health Act (Queensland) 2005 commenced on 15 December 2006. The Act provides instruction on the new requirements for Infection Control in health care facilities and imposes a statutory duty on persons involved with the provision of declared health services to take reasonable precautions to minimise the risk of infection.
The duty is reinforced by the requirement that a health care facility have an Infection Control Management Plan for the facility. The Infection Control Management Plan (ICMP) must identify the infection risks at the facility and detail the measures to be taken to prevent or minimise the risks and to train staff in applying the plan.
Facilities requiring an Infection Control Management Plan must have one in place within 6 months of the 15 December 2006 commencement date. New facilities must have an Infection Control Management Plan prior to providing any declared health services.
The following Queensland healthcare providers have a legislative obligation for an ICMP
Version 4 of the Infection Control Management Plan (ICMP) template is now available for Queensland Health facilities.
All previous versions that applied to public hospitals and public oral health services have been rescinded.
The 4th edition of the ICMP template is provided in Microsoft Excel format and now incorporates:
Infection control practitioners may choose to have a HHS-wide ICMP using only one section of the template or utilise the full capacity of the template to identify service-specific risks in each section.
The template now provides the functionality of applying a risk rating for each action – high, medium and low. The risk rating should be regarded as an internal guide or prompt for escalation of risk and does not replace the organisation-wide risk register.
Prompts or examples have been added to assist the process for demonstration of evidence in each of the required actions.
Remember that the obligation on the HHS for the development, implementation, communication and evaluation of the ICMP is a legal one imposed by the Public Health Act 2005. It is not a mandatory requirement for a successful accreditation outcome…however it will be considered as an evidence document in its own right when the organisation is being assessed against National Standard 3 – Criterion 3.1.1
Version 4 of the Infection Control Management Plan for Hospital & Health Services now includes and integrates oral health services. Please contact your district infection control practitioner.
Offender Health Services in each of the Correctional Facilities are required to develop, implement and maintain an Infection Control Management Plan. Nurse Unit Managers should discuss this requirement with their local Infection Control Practioner so that the plans are integrated.
The Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association Ltd have developed an Infection Control Management Plan Template for Queensland Acupuncture Practices (18 April 2011).
It may be downloaded at http://www.acupuncture.org.au/Publications/Infection_Control.aspx
This template is current for all private dental practices in Queensland. Private dental practices should contact the ADAQ for the proposed national accreditation scheme to commence in 2013.
Family Planning Queensland has an obligation under the Public Health Act 2005 to develop, implement and monitor an Infection Control Management Plan based on this template.
Health Quality and Complaints Commission, Great expectations: A spotlight report on complaints about cosmetic surgical and medical procedures in Queensland, April 2013 is accessible at http://www.hqcc.qld.gov.au/News/Pages/Spotlight-on-cosmetic-procedures.aspx
