Settings PPE Selection & Use for NHS & Care Teams

Develop practical PPE selection, donning, removal, fit and compliance knowledge for safer working across NHS and care settings.

  • 4.5 (33 reviews)
  • 87 students
  • 4 hours
Course Preview Image Intermediate

About This Course

Personal protective equipment helps reduce exposure to infection, body fluids and other workplace hazards when it is selected and used correctly. Poor fit, unsuitable equipment, incorrect removal or unsafe disposal can increase the risk of contamination for staff, patients, service users and visitors.

This PPE training for NHS and care teams explains how to assess exposure risks, choose appropriate protection and use equipment safely. Learners will develop practical knowledge of gloves, aprons, gowns, masks, respirators and eye protection, together with hand hygiene, storage, disposal and incident reporting.

What Is PPE Training for NHS and Care Teams?

PPE training teaches health and care workers how to select, wear, remove and dispose of personal protective equipment according to the task and expected level of exposure.

The course promotes a risk-based approach. PPE should be selected after considering the procedure, care environment, possible contact with infectious materials and the protection required for the wearer and others. It should also fit correctly, remain compatible with other equipment and be available when needed.

Who Needs PPE Training in Healthcare and Care Settings?

This course is suitable for:

  • Nurses and clinical professionals
  • Healthcare assistants and support workers
  • Care-home and domiciliary care staff
  • Allied health professionals
  • Cleaning, facilities and decontamination teams
  • Ward managers, supervisors and care-team leaders
  • Infection prevention and control leads
  • Health and safety, governance and quality teams
  • Agency, bank and newly recruited healthcare staff

What Does a PPE Selection and Use Course Cover?

The course covers the full PPE-use process, including:

  • Assessing the task and expected exposure
  • Applying the hierarchy of controls
  • Selecting suitable PPE
  • Checking fit and compatibility
  • Following correct donning and removal sequences
  • Integrating hand hygiene
  • Preventing self-contamination
  • Storing and inspecting equipment
  • Managing damaged or expired PPE
  • Disposing of used PPE correctly
  • Reporting shortages, failures and near misses
  • Supporting supervision, audits and team accountability

Learners will also examine respirator fit testing, wearer fit checks, staff discomfort, heat stress, stock management and emerging AI applications in PPE monitoring and supply planning.

PPE forms one part of a wider infection-control system. Broader topics such as transmission, outbreaks, environmental controls and antimicrobial stewardship are covered in the Infection Prevention & Control (IPC) for NHS Staff course.

Why Does Correct PPE Selection Matter?

PPE is effective only when it is appropriate for the hazard, fits the wearer and is used correctly. It should support other risk-control measures rather than replace safer working methods, environmental controls or organisational procedures.

Employers are responsible for assessing workplace risks, providing suitable PPE where required and ensuring that workers receive appropriate information, instruction and training. Healthcare and care providers must also maintain clear procedures for PPE availability, use, storage, disposal and supervision.

Poor PPE practice can result in:

  • Exposure to infectious or hazardous materials
  • Cross-contamination between people and care environments
  • Incorrect respirator protection
  • Avoidable equipment waste
  • Stock shortages and service disruption
  • Weak incident records
  • Inconsistent staff practice
  • Reduced confidence in care quality

Used PPE must be placed in the correct waste stream according to its contamination status and workplace procedure. Damaged, expired or unsuitable equipment should be removed from use and reported promptly.

By completing this course, learners can improve their PPE decisions, recognise unsafe practices and contribute to safer, more consistent care. The training can also support staff induction, refresher learning, supervision and continuous improvement alongside workplace-specific practical instruction.

What You'll Learn

By completing this course, learners will be able to:

  • Explain the purpose and limitations of PPE in NHS and care environments.
  • Identify situations requiring task-based PPE risk assessment.
  • Distinguish PPE from higher-level measures within the hierarchy of controls.
  • Select appropriate protective equipment for anticipated exposure and care activities.
  • Describe how AGPs and isolation arrangements influence PPE requirements.
  • Sequence key donning, hand hygiene and removal steps accurately.
  • Recognise behaviours that may cause self-contamination or cross-contamination.
  • Differentiate a respirator fit test from a wearer fit check.
  • Assess PPE fit, compatibility, comfort and suitability for individual users.
  • Identify damaged, contaminated, expired or incorrectly stored equipment.
  • Explain how used PPE should be assigned to appropriate healthcare waste streams.
  • Respond appropriately to stock shortages, high-risk events and PPE-related near misses.
  • Evaluate how fatigue, heat stress and mental load can influence PPE use.
  • Support audits, peer checks, escalation and multidisciplinary accountability.
  • Discuss potential AI applications in PPE selection, forecasting and compliance monitoring.
  • Apply course principles alongside organisational procedures and applicable local requirements.

Requirements

No formal qualification or previous PPE-training certificate is required to begin. The course is suitable for new and experienced healthcare or care workers, although practical workplace context may help learners apply the material more quickly.

Professional experience is not required, but learners should understand that knowledge-based online training cannot replace employer induction, practical demonstrations, supervised competency assessment or role-specific clinical instruction.

A reliable internet connection and a modern web-enabled device are required. A desktop or laptop is recommended for the best experience when reading detailed guidance and completing assessments.

Learners should have:

  • An interest in applying the learning in a workplace or professional setting
  • An interest in PPE selection, infection prevention and staff safety
  • A willingness to follow workplace policies and current official guidance
  • A device with internet access
  • Desktop or laptop access recommended for the best learning experience

Certification

Certification

After completing the course, learners will receive a Certificate of Completion from Global Safety Academy.

The certificate demonstrates that the learner has completed structured training covering PPE risk assessment, selection, donning, removal, fit, storage, disposal, accountability and workplace application.

It may support professional-development records, employer training files and evidence of knowledge-based learning. It does not represent government approval, professional registration, a respirator face-fit certificate or proof of practical clinical competency.

Why Choose Us

Global Safety Academy provides structured online learning designed around real workplace decisions. This course goes beyond naming PPE items by connecting equipment selection with exposure assessment, fit, compatibility, human factors, waste management, leadership and organisational resilience.

The self-paced format allows individual learners and teams to study around work commitments. Content is written in accessible Global English while retaining the professional terminology needed in NHS, care and infection-control environments.

Assessment preparation and certificate-based completion give learners a clear pathway through the subject while helping employers support induction, refresher learning and documented professional development.

Learners choose Global Safety Academy because the training is:

  • Clear, structured, and easy to follow
  • Suitable for busy professionals and teams
  • Focused on real workplace and professional challenges
  • Built around practical application rather than abstract theory
  • Written in accessible Global English
  • Designed for international learners and organisations
  • Supported by certificate-based completion

Compliance and Regulatory Alignment

This course supports awareness of PPE, infection-control and workplace-safety expectations relevant to NHS and care environments.

This course supports awareness of:

  • Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
  • Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
  • Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992, as amended
  • Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 2022
  • Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002
  • Health and Social Care Act 2008 infection prevention and control code
  • Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, including Regulation 12
  • NHS England National Infection Prevention and Control Manual
  • NHS standard infection control precautions and national PPE policy
  • Healthcare Technical Memorandum 07-01 principles for healthcare waste

HSE guidance requires workplace PPE to be properly assessed, suitable, maintained, stored and accompanied by sufficient information, instruction and training. NHS England’s infection-control guidance also connects PPE decisions with the task, anticipated exposure, hand hygiene, safe removal, storage, equipment condition and the correct waste stream. 

The Health and Social Care Act 2008 infection-control code applies to registered health and adult social care providers in England and supports CQC assessment of infection prevention arrangements. 

Although the course is accessible to international learners, its NHS terminology and legal examples are principally aligned with UK practice. Learners and organisations outside the UK must follow the legislation, public-health guidance, professional requirements and waste rules applying in their own jurisdiction.

The course supports awareness and professional development. It does not provide legal advice, regulatory approval, practical competency confirmation or formal authorisation to perform clinical procedures.

Career opportunities

This course can support professionals working in or moving towards roles such as:

  • Healthcare Assistant
  • Care Worker
  • Clinical Support Worker
  • Registered Nurse
  • Community Care Worker
  • Domiciliary Care Supervisor
  • Ward or Clinical Team Leader
  • Care Home Manager
  • Infection Prevention and Control Champion
  • Health and Safety Coordinator
  • Clinical Governance or Quality Officer
  • PPE Procurement or Stock Coordinator

The course can strengthen professional development, workplace readiness, risk awareness and understanding of PPE responsibilities. It may also help existing staff prepare for greater supervisory, infection-control, governance or stock-management responsibilities.

Completion does not qualify a learner for a regulated healthcare role, replace required professional registration or guarantee employment or promotion.

Course Curriculum

8 sections38 lectures4 hours
▶ 1.1. PPE in Practice: Protection With Purpose
▶ 1.1.1. Expectations in NHS and Care Settings
▶ 1.1.2. Legal Duties Under UK Health and Safety Law
▶ 1.1.3. Standard Precautions and Organisational Policies
▶ 1.1.4. Responsibilities of Clinical and Non-Clinical Staff
▶ 1.1.5. Common Gaps in Real-World PPE Use
▶ 2.1. Risk Assessment and PPE Selection
▶ 2.1.1. Task-Based Risk Assessment in Care Environments
▶ 2.1.2. Role of the Hierarchy of Controls
▶ 2.1.3. Matching PPE to Exposure Risk
▶ 2.1.4. Factors That Influence Equipment Selection
▶ 2.1.5. PPE Needs for AGPs and Isolation Protocols
▶ 3.1. Don and Remove With Accuracy
▶ 3.1.1. Sequence for Correct Donning
▶ 3.1.2. Safe Removal Techniques
▶ 3.1.3. Integration of Hand Hygiene Steps
▶ 3.1.4. Preventing Self-Contamination
▶ 3.1.5. Common Errors and Near-Miss Incidents
▶ 4.1. Fit, Function, and Usability
▶ 4.1.1. Fit Test Versus Fit Check for Respirators
▶ 4.1.2. Equipment Compatibility in Clinical Use
▶ 4.1.3. Adjustments for Cultural and Medical Needs
▶ 4.1.4. Physical Limitations and User Discomfort
▶ 4.1.5. Signs of PPE Fatigue and Misuse
▶ 5.1. Storage, Integrity, and Disposal
▶ 5.1.1. Storage Conditions in NHS and Community Care
▶ 5.1.2. Monitoring Shelf Life and Wear Risks
▶ 5.1.3. Disposal Standards Under UK Waste Laws
▶ 5.1.4. Response to Damaged or Expired PPE
▶ 5.1.5. Reuse Protocols and Environmental Pressures
▶ 6.1. Building Resilience and Accountability
▶ 6.1.1. PPE Culture in Multidisciplinary Teams
▶ 6.1.2. Crisis Response and Stock Management
▶ 6.1.3. Escalation Protocols in High-Risk Events
▶ 6.1.4. Staff Fatigue, Heat Stress, and Mental Load
▶ 6.1.5. Audit, Supervision, and Peer Checks
▶ Mock Exam - Settings PPE Selection & Use for NHS & Care Teams
▶ Final Exam - Settings PPE Selection & Use for NHS & Care Teams

Frequently Asked Questions

PPE training teaches healthcare and care workers how to assess exposure risks and select, wear, remove, store and dispose of personal protective equipment safely. It covers gloves, aprons, gowns, masks, respirators and eye or face protection, together with hand hygiene and contamination controls.

The course is designed for clinical staff, healthcare assistants, care workers, support staff, domestic teams, supervisors, managers and anyone responsible for PPE availability, use or monitoring in NHS and care environments.

It is also relevant to agency and bank workers, internationally recruited staff and professionals preparing to work in UK health or social care settings.

Workers must receive appropriate information, instruction and training when PPE is required to manage workplace risks. Employers are responsible for assessing those risks and ensuring that supplied PPE is suitable, maintained, stored and used correctly. 

The exact mandatory training arrangements, renewal periods and practical assessments depend on the worker’s role, employer, jurisdiction and local policy.

No formal healthcare qualification is required to enrol. The course explains the principles in accessible Global English, although learners with experience in NHS, clinical, residential or community care settings will be able to connect the content directly to workplace practice.

This is an intermediate-level course. It begins with essential PPE responsibilities and progresses into task-based risk assessment, respirator fit, equipment compatibility, stock management, supervision, auditing and AI-supported applications.

The estimated completion time is approximately four hours. Actual study time may vary according to reading speed, prior experience, note-taking and assessment preparation.

Yes. The knowledge-based elements of PPE selection, risk assessment, contamination prevention, storage, disposal and reporting can be studied online.

However, online learning does not replace practical demonstrations, supervised competency assessment, respirator face-fit testing or employer-specific instruction where these are required.

Yes. After completing the course, learners will receive a Certificate of Completion from Global Safety Academy.

The certificate demonstrates successful completion of the online course. It does not represent a professional licence, government approval, practical competency award or formal respirator fit-test record.

The course explains the difference between a fit test and a fit check, why facial fit matters and when tight-fitting respiratory protective equipment may require fit testing. HSE states that tight-fitting facepieces must fit the individual wearer and that fit testing helps establish whether the selected equipment is suitable. 

The course does not conduct or replace a practical face-fit test performed by a competent person.

No. The course supports knowledge and compliance awareness, but legal compliance depends on workplace risk assessments, suitable equipment, organisational policies, practical implementation, supervision, maintenance, records and the laws applying in the relevant jurisdiction.

Organisations should use the training alongside professional advice, current official guidance and their own procedures.

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