Effective health protection helps prevent illness, reduce outbreaks, protect vulnerable people and support service continuity.
Every organisation has a role to play. Whether you work in healthcare, education, social care, local government, community services or the voluntary sector, taking early action can reduce risks and improve outcomes for the people you support.
- Prevention is more effective than managing an outbreak once it has spread.
- Early recognition and reporting can reduce harm and support timely action.
- Good infection prevention and control protects service users, staff and organisational resilience.
- Using trusted national guidance supports consistent and effective practice.
Disease outbreaks and health protection incidents may happen in settings from time to time…do you have good prevention know how, or know who to ask for help to manage situations if they do happen?
- Infection prevention and control (IPC)
Making environments safer
Effective IPC is essential in all settings, not just healthcare.
Simple measures such as hand hygiene, environmental cleaning, respiratory hygiene and good ventilation can significantly reduce the spread of infectious diseases.
Embedding these practices into everyday routines helps protect both staff and those who use your services.
Organisations should:
- regularly review and update IPC risk assessments
- ensure staff understand local procedures and escalation routes
- promote good hand and respiratory hygiene
- maintain appropriate cleaning and ventilation practices
- ensure staff know how to manage potentially infectious individuals safely and confidently
- consider seasonal and environmental risks when planning services
Consistent IPC practices help reduce outbreaks, improve service resilience and protect vulnerable populations.
Guidance and resources
- Infection prevention and control guidance – national UKHSA and government guidance for a range of settings.
- NHS England IPC resources – practical resources, guidance and best practice information.
- National Infection Prevention and Control Manual (England) – evidence-based IPC standards and precautions.
- Personal protective equipment and heat: risk of heat stress – guidance on balancing PPE use and heat-related risks.
- Disease outbreak management and reporting
Act early, report early
Timely reporting and effective communication are critical to preventing wider spread of infectious diseases.
Registered Medical Practitioners have a statutory duty to notify the proper officer of suspected cases of certain infectious diseases.
In practice, this function is undertaken by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) South West Health Protection Team.
Early reporting enables:
- rapid risk assessment
- timely public health advice
- early implementation of control measures
- protection of vulnerable populations
- more effective outbreak management
Roles and responsibilities
UKHSA is the lead agency for health protection incidents and communicable disease outbreaks. UKHSA will coordinate investigation and response activities where required.
Devon County Council’s Health Protection Team works alongside UKHSA by providing local public health expertise, facilitating local coordination and supporting communication where appropriate.
Cases can be reported to the South West Health Protection Team at swhpt@ukhsa.gov.uk or by telephone on 0300 303 8162.
Guidance and resources
Notifiable diseases and how to report them – legal duties, reporting processes and disease-specific information.
A to Z of infectious diseases – national guidance on infectious diseases and outbreak management.
- Schools and early years
Supporting healthy learning environments
Educational settings play an important role in reducing the spread of infections while supporting attendance, learning and wellbeing.
Planning ahead, maintaining strong IPC arrangements and following national guidance can help schools and childcare settings confidently manage infectious disease risks.
Key priorities include:
- promoting good hand and respiratory hygiene
- supporting ventilation where practical
- managing infectious illnesses appropriately
- understanding exclusion periods and attendance guidance
- preparing for seasonal and extreme weather risks
Guidance and resources
- Health protection in schools and other childcare facilities – managing infections, exclusions and attendance.
- e-Bug – operated by the UK Health Security Agency, is a health education programme that aims to promote positive behaviour change among children and young people to support infection prevention and control.
- Personal protective equipment and heat: risk of heat stress – GOV.UK– balancing infection prevention and heat-related risks.
- UKHSA Infection Protection and Winter Readiness and Control Toolkit for Early Years and Education Settings – practical resources for preparedness and outbreak management.
- Hot weather and heatwaves: guidance for schools and other education settings – practical advice for managing hot weather.
- Looking after children in hot weather – guidance for teachers and early years professionals.
Related pages
- Staying well in hot weather – consider children’s home environment.
- Adult social care and care homes
Prevention, preparedness and rapid response
Older adults and those receiving care may be particularly vulnerable to infectious diseases. Effective prevention and early action can help reduce outbreaks and protect residents, staff and visitors.
Organisations should:
- maintain up-to-date outbreak and IPC procedures
- ensure staff understand escalation and reporting processes
- promote vaccination uptake
- review preparedness regularly
- act quickly when symptoms or clusters of illness are identified
Guidance and resources
- Adult social care: guidance – infection prevention and control for ASC, workforce wellbeing and care planning information.
- Notifiable diseases and how to report them – reporting requirements.
- Report an outbreak of acute respiratory infection in an adult social care setting – the national reporting route for respiratory outbreaks.
- Infection prevention and control: quick guide for care workers – concise, practical IPC advice for all frontline staff.
- UKHSA Care Home and Residential Care Guidance – setting-specific guidance and outbreak support resources.
- Provider Engagement Network (PEN) – local updates, guidance and professional resources.
- Inclusion health settings
People facing social exclusion may experience greater exposure to health risks and barriers to accessing healthcare.
Organisations supporting people experiencing homelessness, substance dependence, migration-related vulnerabilities or other forms of social exclusion can play a vital role in disease prevention, early detection and access to care.
Guidance and resources
UKHSA Complex Lives – guidance, tools and learning resources for professionals working in inclusion health settings.
- Staff vaccination programmes
Protect staff. Protect services. Protect vulnerable people.
Vaccination is one of the most effective measures available to reduce the risk of infectious disease outbreaks.
Strong staff vaccination programmes help:
- protect vulnerable service users
- reduce staff illness and absence
- improve organisational resilience
- support continuity of essential services
- reduce the risk of outbreaks
Organisations are encouraged to actively support vaccination uptake by making access easy, communicating clearly and creating a positive culture around vaccination.
Guidance and resources
- NHS vaccinations – information on adult vaccination programmes and eligibility.
- The Green Book – the UK reference guide for immunisation policy and practice.