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Monkeypox

Infection Prevention and Control guidance for the Management of Possible, Probable and Confirmed cases of Monkeypox has been published on 1 June 2022.

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Ongoing COVID-19 pandemic IPC guidance can be found in Appendices 21 & 22 of the NIPCM.

Public Health Scotland pandemic guidance is available. 

For pathogen specific information go to the A-Z of pathogens.

The NHSScotland National Infection Prevention and Control Manual  (NIPCM) was first published on 13 January 2012, by the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO (2012)1), and updated on 17 May 2012 (CNO (2012)1 Update). 

The NIPCM provides IPC guidance to all those involved in care provision and is considered best practice across all health and care settings in Scotland.

The Re-launch of the NIPCM by the CNO on 11^th July 2022 emphasises the ongoing importance of application of Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) guidance within health and care settings across Scotland. 

It is expected that all NHS Scotland and care home settings apply guidance contained within the NIPCM in order to achieve the aims laid out below.

Disclaimer

When an organisation e.g. when a health and care setting uses products or adopts practices that differ from those stated in this National Infection Prevention and Control Manual, that individual organisation is responsible for ensuring safe systems of work including the completion of a risk assessment approved through local governance procedures.

The national IPC manual aims to:

• help reduce the risk of Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI)
• make it easy for care staff to apply effective infection prevention and control precautions
• reduce variation, promote standardisation and optimise infection prevention and control practices throughout Scotland
• improve the application of knowledge and skills in infection prevention and control
• help alignment of practice, education, monitoring, quality improvement and scrutiny

The NIPCM currently contains: 

• Chapter 1: Standard Infection Control Precautions (SICPs), 
• Chapter 2: Transmission Based Precautions (TBPs)
• Chapter 3: Healthcare Infection incidents, outbreaks and data exceedance
• Chapter 4: Infection Control in the built environment and decontamination
• Care home IPC manual

Below is a helpful animation detailing the content of the NIPCM.

Latest News

• 17 Apr 2025World Hand Hygiene Day Campaign 2025
• 31 Mar 2025Review and update of Appendix 13 - NHSScotland Minimum Alert organism and condition list
• 19 Mar 2025Derogation of Mpox from HCID. Summary changes to the NIPCM
• 18 Mar 2025Updated NIPCM methodology now available
• 14 Mar 2025Updated Safe Disposal of Waste Literature Review now available