Winter Infection Control in Care Homes 2026
Winter Infection Prevention in Care Homes: A 2026/27 Readiness Guide
Winter can place extra pressure on care homes. Respiratory and gastrointestinal infections may spread quickly in shared indoor spaces, while staff absence can make safe routines harder to maintain. For vulnerable residents, an infection may also have more serious consequences.
Infection prevention and control in care homes is therefore a shared commitment involving managers, care workers, nurses, cleaners, visiting professionals, residents and families. This guide explains how to strengthen winter preparedness while keeping care person-centred and proportionate.
Why winter infection control planning matters in 2026/27
The UK Health Security Agency's Adverse Weather and Health Plan 2026 to 2027 highlights preparedness and resilience across health and social care. For providers, that means planning before services come under pressure.
CQC's published infection prevention and control prompts for care homes focus on practical evidence, including risk assessment, staff competence, PPE, cleaning, ventilation, symptom monitoring and outbreak response. Policies matter, but everyday practice protects people.
A practical winter infection control checklist
Use the following areas to review your service and identify gaps before winter demand increases.
1. Refresh responsibilities and outbreak plans
Everyone should know who leads infection prevention, who to contact and where current procedures are stored. Check escalation routes for evenings, weekends and bank holidays, and keep key clinical and local Health Protection Team contacts accessible.
Review the outbreak plan alongside staffing and business-continuity arrangements. Cover communication, supplies, temporary staff and continuity of residents' individual care.
For care home managers
Test a scenario: if two residents and a staff member developed similar symptoms today, would the team know what to record, whom to inform and which guidance to follow?
2. Reinforce hand and respiratory hygiene
Keep soap, disposable towels and alcohol hand rub available in appropriate locations. Staff should understand when handwashing is necessary and when hand rub is suitable. Use clear reminders about respiratory hygiene and tissue disposal.
Managers should observe practice, not rely only on training records. Supportive spot checks can turn knowledge into consistent behaviour.
3. Check PPE knowledge, access and stock
Select PPE according to the task and assessed risk. Ensure supplies are accessible and staff—including agency workers—can put on, remove and dispose of PPE safely. PPE never replaces hand hygiene, cleaning or risk assessment.
For care workers
If required PPE is unavailable, damaged or unfamiliar, raise the concern immediately rather than guessing.
4. Strengthen cleaning, laundry and equipment controls
Review cleaning schedules for bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens and shared areas. Prioritise frequently touched surfaces such as handles, handrails, switches, call bells and shared devices. Confirm product suitability, contact times and responsibilities.
Clean shared equipment between users as required. Staff should also understand laundry, waste and spill procedures, with records showing that scheduled checks were completed.
5. Balance ventilation, warmth and comfort
Ventilation can reduce the build-up of respiratory particles indoors, but it must be balanced with comfort, privacy and warmth. Review communal areas and bedrooms according to occupancy and individual vulnerability.
6. Spot changes early and respond proportionately
Staff may notice subtle changes in appetite, alertness, breathing, mobility or behaviour. Record and escalate concerns promptly. Seek clinical advice where needed, following current national and local guidance on testing, precautions, reporting and outbreak management.
Communicate with visitors clearly and compassionately. Ask unwell people not to visit, explain temporary precautions and use individual risk assessments where contact is essential. Restrictions should remain proportionate and regularly reviewed.
Build competence through infection control training
Care home infection control training online can refresh essential knowledge during induction or before winter. It works best alongside local policies, practical demonstrations, supervision and competency checks.
Learning Connect's online Infection Prevention and Control Training can help care workers and managers revisit core principles. Providers should choose role-appropriate learning and retain evidence of completion, practical assessment and follow-up action.
