Infection Prevention & Control Information for Long-Term Care Homes & Retirement Homes

Respiratory

Reporting a Respiratory Outbreak

To report a suspected or confirmed respiratory outbreak:

Business Hours (weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.):

• Communicable Disease Liaison Unit (CDLU) facilities: contact your CDLU Liaison directly or the CDLU General Line: 416-338-2100 or CDLU@toronto.ca
• Long-Term Care and Retirement Homes Congregate Team (LRCT): send an email to LRCT@toronto.ca

After Hours (weekdays after 4:30 p.m., weekends and statutory holidays):

• Call 3-1-1 or 416-392-CITY (2489) and ask for the on-call Communicable Diseases Control (CDC) Manager
• The LRCT@toronto.ca mailbox will not be monitored during after hours from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. on weekends or on statutory holidays. Messages directed to this mailbox will be actioned on the next business day.

Managing a Respiratory Outbreak

• Ministry of Health (MOH) – Recommendations for Outbreak Prevention and Control in Institutions and Congregate Living Settings
• TPH – Outbreak Alert Sign 
• TPH – Outbreak Transfer Notification

Specimen Collecting/Testing

• Public Health Ontario (PHO) – Instructions for Collecting a Nasopharyngeal Swab
• PHO – Test Information Index
• Public Health Ontario Lab (PHOL) – Kit & Test Ordering Instructions 
• TPH – LRC Outbreak Specimen Collection and Enteric Kit Request Form 

Signage

• PHO – Additional Precautions Signage and Lanyard Cards 
• TPH – Cover Your Cough Posters (available in multiple languages)
• TPH – Hand Sanitizing Posters (available in multiple languages)
• TPH – Hand Washing Posters (available in multiple languages)

Influenza

• TPH – Influenza Information for Health Professionals 

Enteric

Reporting an Enteric (Gastroenteritis) Outbreak

To report a suspected or confirmed enteric outbreak:

Business Hours (weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.):

• Communicable Disease Liaison Unit (CDLU) facilities: contact your CDLU Liaison directly or the CDLU General Line: 416-338-2100 or CDLU@toronto.ca
• Long-Term Care and Retirement Homes Congregate Team (LRCT): send an email to LRCT@toronto.ca

After Hours (weekdays after 4:30 p.m, weekends and statutory holidays.):

• Call 3-1-1 or 416-392-CITY (2489) and ask for the on-call Communicable Diseases Control (CDC) Manager
• The LRCT@toronto.ca mailbox will not be monitored during after hours from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. on weekends or on statutory holidays. Messages directed to this mailbox will be actioned on the next business day.

Managing an Enteric (Gastroenteritis) Outbreak

• MOH – Recommendations for Outbreak Prevention and Control in Institutions and Congregate Living Settings 
• TPH – Outbreak Alert Sign 
• TPH – Outbreak Transfer Notification

Specimen Collecting/Testing

• PHO – Enteric Outbreak Test Requisition Form 
• TPH – Food Collection/Sampling Protocol for Health Care Facilities 
• TPH – How to Collect a Stool Specimen
• TPH – LRC Outbreak Specimen Collection and Enteric Kit Request Form 

Signage

• PHO – Additional Precautions Signage and Lanyard Cards
• TPH – Hand Sanitizing Posters (available in multiple languages)
• TPH – Hand Washing Posters (available in multiple languages)

Norovirus

• Government of Canada (GOC) – Norovirus: Symptoms & Treatment
• TPH – Norovirus Fact Sheet
• TPH – What to Do When You Suspect Norovirus 

C.difficile

• GOC – Clostridium Difficile Infection – Infection Prevention and Control Guidance for Management in Long-term Care Facilities 
• PHO – Stool Consistency Chart with Acceptance Criteria for Clostridioides difficile Testing 
• Provincial Infectious Diseases Advisory Committee (PIDAC) – Testing, Surveillance and Management of Clostridium difficile in All Health Care Settings 

Infection Prevention & Control

Hand Hygiene

• PHO, Just Clean Your Hands – Long-term Care
• PIDAC, Best Practices for Hand Hygiene in All Health Care Settings

Environmental Cleaning

• PHO, Environmental Cleaning Toolkit
• PIDAC, Best Practices for Environmental Cleaning for Prevention and Control of Infections in All Health Care Settings

Construction, Renovation, Maintenance & Design

• PHO, Construction, Renovation, Maintenance and Design (CRMD)

Reprocessing

• PHO, Reprocessing

Training and Education

• PHO, Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) – Online Learning

General IPAC Resources

• Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology 
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Infection Prevention and Control Canada
• PHO, Best Practices in IPAC
• PHO, Supporting Our Partners with Infection Prevention and Control

Ventilation

• PHO, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Systems in Buildings and COVID-19
• PHO, Use of Portable Air Cleaners and Transmission of COVID-19
• TPH, Reduce Respiratory Virus Spread Guide