Bringing together all stakeholders in healthcare design and construction ‘to foster collaboration and create actionable solutions’, the workshop will aim to:
- Investigate recurring issues and their root causes.
- Encourage open dialogue under Chatham House rules to share experiences.
- Develop a roadmap with practical recommendations for improving infection prevention in healthcare construction.
HIS said: “The global rise in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is worsened by poorly designed and maintained hospital water systems, which facilitate the spread of drug-resistant pathogens. Flaws in design and construction can turn healthcare facilities into hotspots for AMR superbugs. Against this backdrop, IPC professionals are emphasising the urgent need for collaboration between healthcare and construction professionals. Learning from past mistakes is vital to ensuring new hospitals meet IPC standards and help combat AMR.
“We’d encourage experienced experts from infection prevention, construction design, architecture, engineering, project management, and related fields to express an interest to participate in this invite-only workshop. Its findings will be compiled into a white paper for organisations tasked with building new healthcare facilities.”
HIS points out that to date several hospitals have been associated with infrastructure problems leading to infections, including Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People Edinburgh, Papworth Hospital, and the Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast, some of which resulted in fatalities – including the death of 10-year-old Milly Main at the aforementioned Glasgow hospital, which led to The Scottish Hospitals Inquiry.
To express interest in the HIS workshop, and for further details, email Colette.connolly@his.org.uk by 28 February 2025. This is an in-person event, and no online access or recordings will be available.