Portland District Health is committed to keeping our patients, staff and visitors safe from infection. This department provides a safe environment for patients, staff and visitors; promotes and encourages hand hygiene across all facilities; provides information, resources and education to staff, consumers and healthcare workers on preventing and managing infectious diseases; internally provides immunisation to healthcare workers, volunteers, locums and students on clinical placement, and externally provides immunisation to emergency services; works to reduce the risk of patients developing and transmitting multi-drug resistant microorganisms; prevents patients from acquiring preventable healthcare-associated infections and effectively manages infections when they occur; carries out surveillance activities and reports surveillance data to the Department of Health; and develops infection prevention policies and procedures.