Long-Term Care and Retirement Homes
The information on this page is a compilation of resources and best practice documents on Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) and outbreak management. It is to be used by long-term care homes (LTCHs) and retirement homes (RHs) to assist with IPAC programming and outbreak reporting, and outbreak management.
This webpage is targeted to Management and IPAC Practitioners in LTCHs and RHs. Responsibility for the IPAC Program in a facility lies primarily with the senior administration of the organization. Implementation of the program rests not only with the IPAC team, but also with Nursing Managers, Environmental Services, Occupational Health and Safety, Directors of Medical Services, Central Reprocessing, and other departments and individuals in the facility impacted by the effective delivery of the program.
Diseases of Public Health Significance (DOPHS)
Nipissing / Northeast Parry Sound Healthcare Providers Outbreak Repatriation and Admissions Protocol
- Nipissing / Northeast Parry Sound Health Care Providers Outbreak Repatriation and Admissions Protocol
- Outbreak Repatriation and Admissions Algorithm (download document)
- Appendix A: Outbreak Transfer Notification to NBRHC (download document)
- Appendix B: Current Facility Outbreak Notification (Health Unit to complete)
- Appendix C: Transfer Checklist to a home in outbreak or from a facility in outbreak (download document)
- Quick Reference for Detecting Outbreaks
- Ministry of Health: Recommendations for Outbreak Prevention and Control in Institutions and Congregate Living Settings.
- Outbreaks in Healthcare Facilities - What Families and Visitors Need to Know fact sheet: English and Français
Enteric
- Outbreak Line Listing - download
- Outbreak Control Measures - download
- Outbreak sign / Avis d'éclosion - for printing
- How to Collect a Stool Specimen
- Gastroenteritis Information
- Norovirus Information
- C. difficile Information
- Infectious Disease Protocol, Appendix 1: Gastroenteritis Outbreaks in Institutions and Public Hospitals
Respiratory
- Outbreak Line Listing - download
- Outbreak Control Measures - download
- Outbreak Sign / Avis d'éclosion - for printing
- Antiviral Medication for Institutional Influenza Outbreak, 2025-2026 Season - revised Dec. 12, 2025
- Influenza Information
- PHO's Cohorting in Respiratory Virus Outbreaks
- PHO's Scenarios for Resident Cohorting
- PHO's Protocol: Respiratory Outbreak Testing Prioritization
- How to Collect and Process a Nasopharyngeal Specimen
- PIDAC: Best Practices for the Prevention of Acute Respiratory Infection Transmission in All Healthcare Settings
- Infectious Disease Protocol, Appendix 1: Respiratory Infection Outbreaks in Institutions and Public Hospitals
- Public Health Ontario: Environmental Cleaning
- Best Practices for Cleaning, Disinfection, and Sterilization of Medical Equipment/Devices in all Healthcare Settings (PIDAC, 2013)
- Best Practices for Environmental Cleaning for Prevention and Control of Infections in all Healthcare Settings (PIDAC, 2018)
See our Hand Hygiene webpage.
Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC)
See our IPAC webpage.
See our Tuberculosis webpage.
Contact our Communicable Disease Control (CDC) program at 705-474-1400 or toll free at 1-800-563-2808, ext. 5229, or by email at cdc@healthunit.ca for more information.
Last updated: Nov. 2025, by CDC