Infection control in the built environment - Design and Planning SUPERCEDED by Health Building Note 00-09: Infection control in the built environment March 2013

Research and investigation have consistently confirmed that the healthcare environment is a secondary reservoir for organisms with the potential for infecting patients. If healthcare-associated infection is to be reduced, it is imperative that infection control is “designed-in” at the planning and design stages of a healthcare-facility newbuild or renovation project and that input continues up to the final build stage. Designed-in infection control means that designers, architects, engineers, facilities managers and planners work in collaborative partnership with infection control teams to deliver facilities in which infection control needs have been planned for, anticipated and met. This guidance discusses the various stages of a capital build project from initial concept through to post-project evaluation, and highlights the major infection control issues and risks that need to be addressed at each particular stage to achieve designed-in infection control