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Abstract

Many features of the NHS conspire to make workforce planning different and difficult. It is often integrated with other planning processes. There are few available guidelines for workforce configurations of infection control (IC) teams or evidence that assesses the effectiveness of different staffing configurations. A telephone survey of IC practice in four NHS trusts in England was undertaken to assist an NHS foundation trust to evaluate the workforce options for reconfiguring their IC team. The calls were semi-structured, recorded qualitative data and lasted 30-40 minutes. The thematic analysis revealed three IC themes: working practices, workforce profiles and governance issues, and suggested that multi-disciplinary, hospital-based IC teams have a strategic approach to engagement with clinical areas. The background, purpose and findings of the survey are reported and the implications for the future evidence base of IC practice.

Keywords

Infection control workforce planning telephone survey

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References

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Infection control team workforce project

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