Infection Prevention and Control Education Team

We are responsible for providing national educational resources to support health and social care staff working in acute, community, care home/residential housing and care at home services in Scotland.

These educational resources include:

Infection Prevention and Control
Decontamination of Re-usable Medical Devices and
Antimicrobial Prescribing Management and Stewardship

We have a multi-disciplinary focus and strong alignment with health protection, patient safety and clinical skills.

Check out the SIPCEP Resources Quick Finder to find the right resources for you. The SIPCEP Resources Quick Finder provides information on the target audience and types of learning resources available available on the IPC Zone.

Scottish Infection Prevention and Control Education Pathway (SIPCEP)

All NES education resources on healthcare associated infections (HAI) / Infection Prevention and Control are now encompassed within the Scottish Infection Prevention and Control Education Pathway (SIPCEP). The SIPCEP is a staged pathway of infection prevention and control education.

It is available free of charge to all Scottish health and social care staff and to Higher and Further Education Institutions in Scotland for inclusion in any health and social care related course. Staff from the independent and voluntary sector in Scotland may also access the pathway free of charge.

The aim of the pathway is to enable all staff to continuously improve their knowledge and skills around infection prevention and control as part of their role. Everyone should contribute to a healthcare culture in which patient safety related to infection prevention and control is of the highest importance.

The pathway learning resources are organised into three layers:

Foundation layer (SIPCEP)

The foundation layer of the SIPCEP comprises a range of resource types covering all 10 Standard Infection Control Precautions, the Chain of Infection and other introductory infection prevention and control topics:

Why Infection Prevention and Control Matters
Breaking the Chain of Infection
Patient Placement/Assessment for Infection Risk
Hand Hygiene
Respiratory and Cough Hygiene
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Safe Management of Care Equipment
Safe Management of Care Environment
Safe Management of Linen
Safe Management of Blood and Body Fluid Spillages
Safe Disposal of Waste (including sharps)
Prevention and Management of Occupational Exposure (including sharps)
Prevention and Control of Infection – Clostridium difficile

Preventing Infection in Care comprises a range of resources covering Standard Infection Control Precautions (SICPs). It is delivered in a variety of formats including face-to-face training and pocketbooks.

Intermediate layer (SIPCEP)

The principles in this layer relate to the application of knowledge into practice and motivation of staff. This layer provides further learning for staff (including existing Cleanliness Champions) and the building blocks for them to progress and enhance their knowledge and skills. It encourages staff to champion good practice locally and nationally as they join or continue on the pathway.

The intermediate layer provides resources to:

Enhance ‘clinical’ or ‘practical’ skills
Reinforce decision making and clinical reasoning skills
Develop interpersonal and leadership skills

Resources are divided into topical areas to assist in identifying appropriate learning:

Antibiotic management
Aseptic technique
Decontamination of reusable medical devices (local and endoscopy)
Frameworks
In it together to Get it Right: Practical Application of SICPs and TBPs
Multi-drug resistant organisms
Occupational risks
Prevention and management of pressure ulcers
Surgical site infections

Improvement layer (SIPCEP)

This layer is designed for those who wish to develop a deeper level of knowledge and skills in relation to infection prevention and control and quality improvement and lead on or actively participate in an infection prevention and control improvement project in their place of work.

It provides modules, other resources and tools from the Quality Improvement Zone which are linked to the different stages in the Improvement Journey, including:

Build will and conditions for change
Understand current system
Develop aim and change theory
Identify specific change ideas, test and refine in context

Infection Prevention and Control worked examples and tools for each stage provide context. This layer also incorporates quality improvement development programmes currently offered by NES at Foundation, Practitioner and Leader levels and builds on knowledge and skills in the application of the science of improvement.

Healthcare Built Environment

We are responsible for creating resources to support the workforce in gaining knowledge and skills to prevent and control the potential risks posed by healthcare facilities and promote a culture of life-long learning, continuous improvement, and improved patient safety. Thereby, ensuring healthcare facilities are safe, fit for purpose, cost effective and capable of delivering sustainable services over the long term. 

What we do

NHS Education for Scotland support learning and development for this diverse multi-agency and multi professional staff group including clinical, estates and facilities staff
Support the workforce in gaining the knowledge and skills to prevent and control the potential risks posed by healthcare facilities and promote a culture of life-long learning, continuous improvement and improved patient safety

Developed a Healthcare Built Environment Knowledge and Skills Framework Preventing and reducing infection and other risks in the healthcare built environment Final

You can find out more at our TURAS learn zone.

Contact us

Contact: nes.hbe@nhs.scot

Access to infection prevention and control education resources

All infection prevention and control education resources and support materials (eLearning modules, videos, workbooks, tip sheets, guides, support documents, etc.) are available on Turas Learn in the IPC Zone. eLearning modules are also provided via learnPro NHS for several NHS Scotland health boards.

If you work for an NHS Scotland Health Board, please check with your line manager or your local Infection Prevention and Control Team or Health Protection Team to ascertain where you should access and complete your eLearning. Some boards still use the learnPro platform.

Staff from the independent and voluntary sector in Scotland and all Scottish students can freely access and complete all SIPCEP learning resources on Turas Learn.

Completion of SIPCEP eLearning

If you would like to complete any eLearning modules on Turas Learn, you need to first log in to Turas Learn.

If you are required to complete eLearning via learnPro, log in to learnPro NHS

Help and support

Guides, support and promotional materials for SIPCEP are available via the IPC Zone on Turas Learn.

Supporting SIPCEP in Practice Whiteboard Animation from NES on Vimeo.

Related publications

Education Resources to Support Health and Social Care Staff and Students in Scotland on Turas Learn