Table 2

Themes with indicative quotes

ThemeExample quotes
Staff attitudes as perceived by nursing students
  • I think it's really good. I think it's become a really good integral part of care now, and people don't really think twice about keeping things clean (S14)

  • On some wards, there's a bit of an attitude towards it, a bad attitude towards it (S23)

  • That it's quite annoying, you know, that you haven't got time for it, that's the big thing, people just say they haven't got time for it (S25)

Mentor views of student attitudes towards IPC
  • They generally do have quite a positive attitude—I think university gives them that so they see it as important when they get here (M30)

  • I think they get a bit of a shock when they come out—it's not like they get told in uni so they expect something that isn't reality, really, in infection control. We can't always do what we should but students expect us to (M23)

Mentor views of attitudes towards IPC in their clinical areaIt's good in this Trust, the people at the top support it which gives the right message then to the rest of the staff (M30)