Infections and illness

Illnesses and infections in care homes

The below drop-down menus include a range of materials to support staff working within nursing and care homes with the management of outbreaks and illnesses. Please use the resources and posters as appropriate within your areas.

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The resources on these pages might not be accessible. If you have a communication or information support need or require any of these resources in an alternative format, please contact our Communications Team so those needs can be recorded and responded to.

Norovirus

Norovirus infection is a common cause of viral gastroenteritis, and causes abrupt onset of diarrhoea and/or vomiting. Symptoms usually last 1-2 days and affected individuals may continue to excrete the virus for up to 48 hours after becoming symptom free. This infection is highly contagious and following an episode of diarrhoea or vomiting the environment may become heavily contaminated with the virus, facilitating spread to staff, other residents and visitors. Scrupulous attention to the highest standards of infection prevention and control practice are required to prevent transmission to yourself and others.

A number of resources are available below which you may find helpful to use in your setting. If you consider that you have an outbreak of viral gastroenteritis please ensure that you report this and seek advice on successful management.

Visit gov.uk: Norovirus - guidance, data and analysis

Other information for nursing staff:

Influenza

Influenza is an acute viral respiratory infection that tends to occur during winter months. The two main types of influenza which cause disease are influenza type A and influenza type B. Outbreaks may occur in community or communal settings such as schools and healthcare including care home settings.

The onset of symptoms indicative of influenza is sudden with a fever of over 38°C, dry cough, headaches, general aches and pains in joints and muscles, chills and a feeling of fatigue.

Flu vaccinations are promoted to at-risk groups of the population each year to reduce the impact of this infection which can lead to secondary bacterial infections. Antibiotics are not required for the treatment of influenza as it is a viral infection but some groups of the population, if identified at an early stage may be offered antiviral treatment.

COVID-19

Urinary tract infections (UTIs)

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common infections that can affect the bladder, the kidneys and the tubes connected to them. They are the second most common clinical indication for routine antibiotics in both primary and secondary care and urine samples make up the largest single group of specimens examined in most medical microbiology laboratories. The need for accurate prompt diagnosis and treatment is key in their successful management.

Resources below set out to provide information or training resources that can be used to inform practice. Please also refer to the primary care antimicrobial prescribing guidelines for information on treatment of urinary tract infections.

Hydration

The importance of adequate hydration within healthcare continues to be promoted. It is recognised that dehydration can potentially affect people in all healthcare settings. This is of great importance when we consider that dehydration is linked to patient safety issues such as pressure ulcers, falls, urinary tract infections, kidney injury and sepsis. Hydration requirements vary and depend on height, weight, age and medical conditions. Please take action to minimise these risks and ensure that dehydration is prevented or recognised and treated at an early stage to reduce the risk of hospital admission.

A number of resources are available below to promote and inform best practice.