Infection Shield Launches IPAC Leadership Readiness Checklist for Ontario Long Term Care Homes

Free resource helps executive and clinical teams test leadership visibility, backup coverage, escalation and daily accountability ahead of National IPAC Week

TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, October 8, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Infection Shield Consulting has prepared a practical leadership-readiness checklist to help Ontario long-term care homes examine whether their infection prevention and control program can continue to function when the designated IPAC Lead is absent, competing priorities intensify or an urgent decision arises outside regular hours.

The checklist is designed for administrators, directors of nursing and personal care, medical directors, quality leaders, IPAC Leads and their designated backups. It organizes review questions under four areas: accountable leadership, continuity and backup coverage, daily evidence of implementation, and escalation pathways. Homes can use it to identify decisions that still depend on one person, clarify who acts when the lead is unavailable and decide which unresolved items require executive attention.

Ontario Regulation 246/22 requires licensed long-term care homes to maintain an infection prevention and control program, use an interdisciplinary team approach and designate an IPAC Lead with defined responsibilities. The regulation also sets minimum on-site IPAC Lead time according to licensed bed capacity and requires licensees to oversee a quality-management program that assesses and improves IPAC. The checklist does not present backup coverage as a separate statutory role; it treats continuity as an operational readiness issue that homes should test before it is needed.

Public Health Ontario's April 2026 best-practice resources for long-term care emphasize program leadership, education, surveillance, auditing, feedback and continuous improvement. The new checklist translates that broad program expectation into questions leadership teams can discuss together: Who owns an urgent decision after hours? What information can a backup access immediately? How are audit findings assigned and followed to completion? When does an unresolved risk move from the IPAC Lead to the home's leadership team?

“A strong IPAC program should not become uncertain when one person is away,” said Dr. Kamyab Ghatan, Founder and President of Infection Shield Consulting. “The practical test is whether the next person knows what to review, who to call, what they are authorized to do and how to document the decision. That is the difference between having a name on a plan and having a program that can keep moving.”
The resource is being introduced ahead of National Infection Control Week, observed in Canada from October 19 to 23, 2026. Infection Shield is encouraging homes to use the week as a focused opportunity to bring the IPAC Lead, administrator, nursing leadership, medical director and quality team together for a short continuity review.

Homes that identify unclear ownership, overdue actions or weak backup coverage can request a structured IPAC Leadership Readiness Review from Infection Shield Consulting. The review can be scoped to leadership responsibilities, continuity arrangements, documentation and the follow-through process for audit and surveillance findings. It is not a regulatory inspection or a guarantee of compliance.
Request a leadership-readiness review at info@infectionshield.ca.

About Infection Shield Consulting
Infection Shield Consulting Inc. provides independent infection prevention and control consulting, assessments, education and improvement support for long-term care, retirement, dental, veterinary and health-care construction settings. Its work helps organizations identify practical gaps, prioritize corrective actions and strengthen day-to-day implementation. Learn more at infectionshield.ca.

Kamyab Ghatan
Infection shield consulting Inc.
+1 416-999-6368
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