Singapore legislation
Regulation 27
of Healthcare Services (Contingency Care Service) Regulations 2023
Regulation 27
Infection control obligation
Subregulation 1
Without limiting regulation 41 of the General Regulations, a licensee must —
establish an infection prevention and control programme (called in this regulation the IPC programme) that satisfies the conditions mentioned in paragraph (2);
appoint an infection prevention and control committee to assist the licensee in establishing, implementing and regularly reviewing the IPC programme;
ensure that the infection prevention and control committee comprises the appropriate number of personnel with the appropriate qualifications, skills and competencies for the purpose of carrying out the licensee’s functions mentioned in sub‑paragraph (b);
keep proper and accurate records of —
the implementation of the IPC programme; and
every infection prevention and control activity carried out at the approved permanent premises;
ensure that only equipment, material or articles that are reprocessed or sterilised through high‑level disinfection or sterilisation in accordance with the specifications by the manufacturer of the equipment, material or articles (as the case may be) and are not subsequently contaminated, are used in any minor surgical procedure on a patient; (f)ensure that every equipment, material or article that is used in every minor surgical procedure is —
reprocessed or sterilised through high‑level disinfection or sterilisation in accordance with the specifications by the manufacturer of the equipment, material or article, as the case may be; and
kept and stored under the appropriate conditions to ensure that the equipment, material or article remains fit for use until it is used in the next minor surgical procedure;
ensure that every equipment that is used to reprocess or sterilise any other equipment, material or article is checked regularly and maintained properly in accordance with the specifications by the manufacturer of the equipment, so as to ensure its proper and effective operation;
designate an area in every approved permanent premises for the accommodation of patients suffering or suspected to be suffering from an infectious disease specified in the First Schedule to the Infectious Diseases Act 1976;
ensure that the area mentioned in sub‑paragraph (h) is —
separate and isolated from the area at which all other patients are staying; and
designed, built and equipped to minimise the risk of the transmission of any infectious disease among the patients staying in that area, or from a patient staying in that area to any individual outside that area; and
establish, implement and regularly review a security system to minimise the risk of an abscondment of a patient who is suffering from an infectious disease specified in the First Schedule to the Infectious Diseases Act 1976.
Subregulation 2
For the purposes of paragraph (1)(a), the IPC programme must be in writing and include the following matters:
standard operating procedures relating to the infection prevention and control of any infection at the licensee’s approved permanent premises;
policies and guidelines relating to the prevention, identification, control and management and elimination of any infection that is acquired in or brought into the licensee’s approved permanent premises, including —
the practice of good hand hygiene and in the use of personal protective equipment; and
the control of the movement of all of the following into, within and out of the approved permanent premises to minimise the spread of any infection:
any person, including the licensee’s personnel, patients and visitors; (B)any equipment, material or article that is or may be used for providing any care or treatment to, or conducting a procedure on, a patient;
any material or waste that is or may be contaminated by a patient suffering from an infectious disease;
policies and the appropriate processes for the training and competency assessment of the licensee’s personnel to ensure that the personnel are familiar with and are able to comply with the matters mentioned in sub‑paragraphs (a) and (b);
surveillance plans to monitor every incident at the licensee’s approved permanent premises that involves an epidemiologically important organism or an infection that is acquired at the approved permanent premises;
plans to carry out regular audits on the personnel, patients and environment of the licensee’s approved permanent premises to ensure that the IPC programme is being implemented effectively.