IPC Partners

In this IPC Partners Journal Club, Dr Luke Moore (Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust) explores the growing challenge of carbapenem‑resistant organisms (CROs) in the context of global conflict, population displacement, and international travel. Drawing on a recent UK‑wide study led by Major Scott Pallett, this session examines how geopolitical instability, trauma care, and healthcare‑associated travel are reshaping the epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance, and what this means for screening, surveillance, and infection prevention practice in the UK. Key topics include: - The current and future threat of CROs to UK hospitals - Travel‑associated and conflict‑related AMR risk - Variability in CRO screening and laboratory practice across the UK - Major trauma centres as sentinels for emerging resistance - Challenges in detection, organism definitions, and susceptibility testing - Duration of colonisation and implications for IPC - The limitations of decolonisation strategies - Practical system‑level approaches to improving detection and communication This session is relevant for IPC teams, microbiologists, clinicians, laboratory staff, and policy professionals interested in antimicrobial resistance, biosecurity, and global health. 📌 This Journal Club was recorded live and includes audience Q&A. All IPC Partners webinars and Journal Clubs are available on our YouTube channel.

Health inequalities have a profound and growing impact on infectious disease risk, outcomes, and healthcare utilisation - yet they are rarely embedded into routine IPC practice. In this Insight Webinar, Kerry Holden (Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust) joins Jon Otter and Phil Norville to explore how healthcare inequalities intersect with infection prevention and control, and what IPC professionals can do differently to reduce avoidable harm. The session covers: - How deprivation, ethnicity, and social exclusion influence infection risk and outcomes - What the evidence tells us about inequalities in AMR, respiratory infections, and vaccine-preventable disease - Inclusion health groups and their disproportionate burden of infectious disease - Why “one-size-fits-all” IPC approaches can worsen inequity - Practical, real-world examples of targeted prevention (including oral health, TB screening, and community outreach) - How IPC teams can use their data, partnerships, and influence to make a meaningful difference This webinar is designed to be practical, challenging, and empowering, with clear take‑home messages for IPC teams working across acute, community, and system-wide settings. 🎓 CPD accredited (1 CPD point – Royal College of Pathologists) 🔔 Subscribe for more free IPC education (new Insight Webinars and Journal Clubs every two weeks) ▶️ Watch previous Insight Webinars on our channel

In this Insight Webinar, Dr Jon Otter (Director of Infection Prevention and Control) provides a timely, evidence-based overview of the recent UK outbreak of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD), with a focus on infection prevention and control (IPC) implications across healthcare and community settings. The session covers the evolving public health situation, key microbiological and epidemiological principles of Neisseria meningitidis, and practical IPC considerations for clinicians, IPC teams, and public health professionals. Topics covered include: - The current UK IMD outbreak: what we know so far - Microbiology and epidemiology of Neisseria meningitidis - Colonisation vs invasive disease – why context matters - Transmission dynamics and why IMD is usually hard to spread - Clinical presentation, outcomes, and case fatality - Vaccination, chemoprophylaxis, and public health response - IPC precautions in healthcare and non-healthcare settings - Lessons learned and future research priorities This webinar is aimed at IPC professionals, clinicians, microbiologists, public health teams, and students, and forms part of the IPC Partners Insight Webinar series. #InfectionPrevention #MeningococcalDisease #IMD #IPC #PublicHealth #Microbiology #HealthcareEpidemiology #Webinar #IPCPartners