The National standards of healthcare cleanliness 2025 provide clear advice on what cleaning is required and how organisations, including General Practices, can demonstrate their cleaning services meet these standards.
Listed below is a range of resources based on the 2021 version of the above document to support implementation of these National standards in General Practice. The only changes incorporated in the 2025 version are for ambulance trusts and, therefore, no changes will be made to these resources until the next review date:
- ‘IPC CQC inspection preparation Pack for General Practice’ incorporating an adapted version of the National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness 2021 for General Practice and Audit Tools
- ‘Infection Prevention and Control Cleaning schedule and record templates for General Practice’
- ‘National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness 2021 Frequency of Cleaning Audits for General Practice: Quick reference guide’
- ‘National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness Cleaning Audit Score Sheet – An example adapted for General Practice’
- ‘National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness Efficacy Audit (Checklist)’ – should be completed at least annually
- ‘Commitment to cleanliness Charter – Example Charters adapted for General Practice’ (FR2, FR4 and FR6)
- ‘NSoHC Cleaning Manual 2022’
- ‘NSoHC Cleaning methodologies 2022’ and ‘Contents page’
- ‘Curtain changing or disposal frequency for General Practice: Quick reference guide’
The national supporting documents, including the ‘Star rating’ Posters, can be accessed on this link: NHS England » National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness 2021: Supporting documents
The National Standards for Healthcare Cleanliness 2021 requires adoption of the ‘National colour coding scheme for cleaning materials and equipment’ to reduce the cross-contamination risk between types of areas. In this scheme, yellow cleaning materials and equipment should be used for isolation areas. In primary care and dental practices, yellow cleaning materials and equipment can be used for ‘Treatment and minor operation rooms’ as well as isolation areas, based on the rationale that there is a high risk of blood and body fluid contamination.
Head of Soft FM Strategy & Operations
NHS Estates and Facilities, Commercial Directorate, July 2024
Page updated: 17/03/2025
