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 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.):

• Communicable Disease Liaison Unit (CDLU) facilities: call your CDLU liaison
• Long-Term Care and Retirement Homes: complete the Initial Outbreak Notification e-Form and once completed call your LRCT Liaison

After hours (weekdays after 5 p.m., weekends and statutory holidays):

• Call 3-1-1 or 416-392-CITY (2489)
• Complete the Initial Outbreak Notification e-Form and send an email to LRCT@toronto.ca

Managing a Respiratory Outbreak

• Control of Respiratory Infection Outbreaks in Long-Term Care Homes (Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (MOHLTC))
• Pre-Outbreak Season Planning
• Respiratory Outbreak Notification Sign 
• Respiratory Line List and Epicurve (Non-COVID-19)*
• Staff and Resident Identification List*
• Respiratory Hospitalizations and Deaths Line List Form 
• Outbreak Transfer Notification 
• Respiratory Outbreak Management Team Meeting Checklist 
• Repatriation Algorithm (MOHLTC)
• What Visitors Need to Know 

*While we aim to provide fully accessible content, there is no text alternative available for some of the content on this site. If you require alternate formats or need assistance understanding our maps, drawings, or any other content, please contact us at LRCT@toronto.ca

Testing

• Kit and Test Ordering Instructions (Public Health Ontario Lab (PHOL))
• How to Collect a Nasopharyngeal Swab 
• Respiratory Outbreak Test Requisition Form Sample (PHOL)

Signage

• Additional Precautions Signage and Lanyard Cards (Public Health Ontario (PHO))
• Cover Your Cough Posters (multiple language)
• Hand Washing Posters (multiple languages)
• Hand Sanitizing Posters (multiple languages)

Influenza

• Influenza Information for Health Professionals

COVID-19

• COVID-19 Information for Health Professionals

Enteric

Reporting an Enteric (Gastroenteritis) Outbreak

To report a suspected or confirmed enteric outbreak:

Business Hours (weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.):

• Communicable Disease Liaison Unit (CDLU) facilities: call your CDLU liaison
• Long-Term Care and Retirement Homes: complete the Initial Outbreak Notification e-Form and once completed call your LRCT Liaison.

After hours (weekdays after 5 p.m, weekends and statutory holidays.):

• Call 3-1-1 or 416-392-CITY (2489)
• Complete the Initial Outbreak Notification e-Form and send an email to LRCT@toronto.ca

Managing an Enteric (Gastroenteritis) Outbreak

• Recommendations for the Control of Gastroenteritis Outbreaks in Long-Term Care Homes (MOHLTC)
• Pre-Outbreak Planning
• Enteric Outbreak Notification Sign  
• Enteric Outbreak Line List*
• Enteric Hospitalizations and Deaths Line List Form  
• Outbreak Transfer Notification 
• Enteric Outbreak Management Team Meeting Checklist 
• Repatriation Algorithm (MOHLTC)
• What Visitors Need to Know 

*While we aim to provide fully accessible content, there is no text alternative available for some of the content on this site. If you require alternate formats or need assistance understanding our maps, drawings, or any other content, please contact us at LRCT@toronto.ca

Specimen Collection

• How to Collect a Stool Specimen 
• Enteric Outbreak Test Requisition Form Sample 

Signage

• Additional Precautions Signage and Lanyard Cards 
• Hand Washing Posters (multiple languages)
• Hand Sanitizing Posters (multiple languages)

Norovirus

• Norovirus Fact Sheet
• Norovirus Information (Government of Canada)

C-Difficile

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

Infection Prevention & Control

Hand Hygiene

• Best Practices for Hand Hygiene in All Health Care Settings (Provincial Infectious Diseases Advisory Committee (PIDAC))
• Just Clean Your Hands – Long-term Care (Public Health Ontario (PHO))

Environmental Cleaning

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

Construction, Renovation, Maintenance and Design

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

Reprocessing

• Reprocessing (PHO)

Training and Education

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

General IPAC Resources

• Best Practice Documents (PHO)
• Infection Prevention and Control Canada
• Regional IPAC Support Teams
• Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology 
• Centers of Disease Control and Prevention