Strategic IPC service review: IPC Partnership with an NHS hospital group in London

The challenge

An NHS Trust in London delivers care across two acute hospital sites, community services and a diverse range of clinical specialties. This complexity requires a cohesive and resilient Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) service with strong leadership, effective governance and clear organisational influence. The Trust sought an independent review of its IPC service at a time of increasing operational pressures and regulatory scrutiny, with a particular focus on understanding current strengths, identifying opportunities for improvement and ensuring the service was positioned to meet future challenges.

The Trust wanted an objective assessment of its IPC structures, workforce, governance arrangements and operational delivery, alongside practical recommendations to support future resilience and service development.

The approach

IPC Partners undertook an independent strategic review of the IPC service. The review was designed to provide a system-wide assessment of how IPC was organised, delivered and experienced across the Trust, whilst recognising the important relationships between IPC and other functions including microbiology, antimicrobial stewardship, estates, occupational health, emergency planning and quality governance.

A structured methodology was used, combining:

• Review of key policies, reports, governance documentation and organisational structures.
• Stakeholder engagement across executive, clinical, operational and corporate services.
• Assessment against relevant national standards, regulatory expectations and best practice.
• Thematic analysis of findings to identify strengths, risks and opportunities for improvement.

This approach ensured that recommendations reflected both documentary evidence and the experiences of those working with and receiving support from the IPC service.

The solution

The review examined the full breadth of IPC activity across the organisation, including:

• Strategic leadership and Director of Infection Prevention and Control arrangements.
• Governance structures, committee systems and reporting processes.
• Workforce capacity, capability and skill mix.
• Surveillance, audit, outbreak management and operational delivery.
• Education and training programmes.
• Stakeholder relationships and service visibility.
• Integration with microbiology, antimicrobial stewardship, estates and other key partners.
• Compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements.

IPC Partners synthesised the findings into a comprehensive strategic review report, highlighting areas of good practice, identifying opportunities for improvement and providing a practical set of recommendations to strengthen leadership, accountability, resilience and service effectiveness.

Impact

The review provided Trust leaders with an independent and objective assessment of the IPC service, creating a clear evidence base for future decision-making. By engaging a wide range of stakeholders and examining the service from multiple perspectives, the review helped identify how existing strengths could be built upon while addressing areas of vulnerability and inefficiency. The resulting recommendations provided a roadmap for strengthening the service's strategic leadership, governance arrangements, workforce resilience and overall effectiveness, helping to ensure that IPC remains aligned with organisational priorities and statutory responsibilities.