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Platform 2: Promoting health and preventing ill health

Public health, infection control, immunisation, screening

Key Tip

PPE removal in reverse: the item you put on last comes off first. Gloves go on last in most sequences — so they come off first. Mask always comes off after gloves and apron.

Core Clinical Guidance

WHO 5 Moments of Hand Hygiene

(1) Before patient contact (2) Before aseptic procedure (3) After body fluid exposure (4) After patient contact (5) After contact with patient surroundings. Hand hygiene is required even when wearing gloves.

PPE removal order

Gloves → Apron → Mask/Eye protection → Hand hygiene. Remove most contaminated items first. Perform hand hygiene after each removal step.

NHS Screening — key ages

Cervical: 25–64 · Breast: 50–70 · Bowel: 50–74 (FIT test) · AAA: men at 65 · Newborn bloodspot: 5 days · Newborn hearing: before discharge

Low-risk alcohol units

Less than 14 units per week, spread over 3 or more days. 1 unit = 8g pure alcohol. A pint of 4% beer ≈ 2.3 units.

AUDIT scoring

Score 8–15: simple advice · 16–19: brief counselling and referral · 20+: specialist referral. AUDIT-C is a 3-question rapid screen.

Social determinants of health

Income, employment, education, housing, environment. The Marmot Review (2010, updated 2020) identifies these as the root causes of health inequalities in England.

Standard vs Transmission precautions

Standard precautions apply to all patients, always. Transmission precautions (contact, droplet, airborne) are added for specific pathogens.

Immunisation

MMR (12–13 months, then 3–4 years) · Meningococcal B (8 weeks) · HPV (12–13 years, boys and girls) · Annual flu (eligible groups) · COVID boosters (eligible groups)