Risk assessment: IPC Partnership with Izzi Renovations to undertake an IPC risk assessment for a proposed ophthalmic clinic in London

The challenge

Structured Light Limited was developing a new ophthalmic outpatient and day-procedure facility in central London, providing eye examinations, cataract procedures and laser interventions. The organisation wanted to ensure that infection prevention and control (IPC) considerations were fully integrated into the design from an early stage, supporting patient safety, regulatory compliance and efficient clinical workflows.

As the project was still at concept design stage, there was an opportunity to identify and address risks before detailed design decisions were finalised. Key considerations included patient and staff flow, hand hygiene provision, environmental cleaning, waste management, water safety, and future operational requirements.

Our approach

IPC Partners undertook an independent IPC design risk assessment of the proposed facility, reviewing plans against national guidance including the Health and Social Care Act 2008 Code of Practice, Health Building Notes (HBNs) and Health Technical Memoranda (HTMs).

The review focused on:

• Clinical layout and patient pathways
• Segregation of clean and dirty activities
• Hand hygiene and water safety requirements
• Waste and equipment flows
• Environmental cleaning infrastructure
• Storage arrangements
• Ventilation and water-system considerations
• Future-proofing the facility for potential changes in clinical activity

The outcome

Our assessment identified a number of strengths within the proposed design, including logical patient flow, appropriate segregation of key activities, dedicated sterile storage, and the use of healthcare-appropriate finishes and materials. IPC Partners provided a series of practical recommendations to strengthen the design before progressing to the next stage of development. These included enhancing dirty utility arrangements, improving hand hygiene infrastructure, incorporating dedicated cleaning storage facilities, reviewing waste routes, and ensuring specialist engineering input for ventilation and water systems.

By engaging IPC expertise early in the design process, the client was able to identify and mitigate potential infection risks before construction commenced. This helped ensure that the new facility would support safe patient care, efficient operational workflows and compliance with healthcare design standards from day one.

Key benefits

• Independent IPC assurance during concept design.
• Early identification and mitigation of infection risks.
• Practical recommendations aligned to national standards.
• Improved readiness for regulatory compliance.
• Enhanced patient and staff safety through IPC-by-design principles.
• Greater confidence that the facility can support future service development.

IPC Partners provides independent IPC reviews and risk assessments at all stages of design and build to help organisations create safer healthcare environments while meeting regulatory and best-practice requirements. Contact us for more information.