Infection Prevention and Control Policy: What CQC Expects in 2026

Infection prevention and control has been a regulatory focus for years, but since the pandemic it has moved from a routine compliance area to one of the most closely inspected aspects of domiciliary care. CQC inspectors assess IPC under the Safe key question, and a weak IPC policy or poor IPC practice can result in enforcement action regardless of how well other areas of your service perform.

This guide covers what your IPC policy must include in 2026, the standards it must reference, and how to ensure your practice matches your paperwork.

The Legal and Regulatory Framework

Your IPC policy must reference the following:

• The Health and Social Care Act 2008 Code of Practice on the prevention and control of infections: this is the primary standard CQC uses to assess IPC compliance. It sets out ten criteria that providers must meet.
• Regulation 12 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014: the regulation covering safe care and treatment, which includes the requirement to assess and prevent the risk of infection.
• The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974: the overarching duty to protect the health of employees.
• COSHH Regulations 2002: relevant to the safe handling and storage of cleaning chemicals and disinfectants.
• National Infection Prevention and Control Manual: the current national guidance on standard infection control precautions.

The Ten Criteria

The Code of Practice sets out ten compliance criteria. Your policy should address each one:

1. Systems to manage and monitor the prevention and control of infection, including a designated IPC lead
2. Provide and maintain a clean and appropriate environment (in domiciliary care, this relates to staff practices in service users' homes and your office environment)
3. Ensure appropriate antimicrobial use (relevant if your staff prompt or administer antibiotics)
4. Provide suitable information on infections to service users, their visitors, and staff
5. Ensure prompt identification of people who have or are at risk of developing an infection
6. Systems to ensure all workers are aware of and discharge their responsibilities in preventing and controlling infection
7. Provide or secure adequate isolation facilities (less relevant to domiciliary care, but your policy should address how you manage care delivery when a service user has an infectious condition)
8. Secure adequate access to laboratory support (not directly applicable to most domiciliary care but relevant to knowing when to seek clinical advice)
9. Have and adhere to policies for the individual's care and the prevention and control of infection
10. Have a system for ensuring that all workers are aware of policies and their individual responsibilities

Standard Precautions Your Policy Must Cover

Standard precautions are the baseline IPC measures that apply to every care interaction. Your policy must include detailed procedures for hand hygiene (the five moments of hand hygiene), correct use and disposal of PPE including gloves and aprons, safe handling of sharps (if applicable to your service), safe handling and disposal of clinical waste, decontamination of equipment, and respiratory hygiene.

For domiciliary care, hand hygiene and PPE use are the most critical standard precautions because your workers carry out personal care in environments where they may not have access to clinical-grade facilities. Your policy should address the use of hand sanitiser when soap and water are not immediately available, and the correct procedure for donning and doffing PPE in a home setting.

Outbreak Management

Your policy must include procedures for managing outbreaks. In domiciliary care, an outbreak might involve multiple service users or staff members developing the same infection. Your outbreak management procedures should cover how you identify an outbreak, who you notify (including the local health protection team and CQC), how you adapt care delivery during an outbreak, how you communicate with affected service users and families, and how you conduct a post-outbreak review.

Training Requirements

All staff must receive IPC training as part of their induction and on an ongoing basis. Training must cover standard precautions, correct PPE use (including practical demonstration and observation), hand hygiene technique, how to recognise signs of infection, when and how to report IPC concerns, and your agency's specific IPC procedures.

Competency assessment is essential. Staff should be observed carrying out IPC procedures in practice, not just tested on theoretical knowledge. Your training records must show both the training completed and the competency assessment outcome.

Auditing IPC Compliance

CQC expects you to audit IPC compliance regularly. This means observing care workers' IPC practice during visits, checking that PPE supplies are adequate, reviewing incident records for IPC-related events, and assessing whether your policy is being followed in practice. Audit results should be documented, and any issues identified must be addressed with clear actions and follow-up.

For a broader view of governance expectations, see our guide on registered manager documents. For related policy guidance, see our safeguarding adults policy guide.