Training: IPC Partnership with Elipse Health to develop accessible, evidence‑based environmental hygiene training

The challenge

Environmental cleaning and disinfection are recognised as core components of infection prevention and control, yet access to high‑quality, evidence‑based training remains challenging. This is especially true in settings facing constraints such as limited resources, variable infrastructure, workforce pressures, and lack of protected training time.

Elipse Health identified a need for a structured training programme that would strengthen understanding of how the healthcare environment contributes to infection transmission, while also supporting practical decision‑making in real‑world settings. Crucially, the training needed to be accessible across a wide range of healthcare contexts, including low‑resource settings, and to move beyond technical instruction to support sustainable IPC practice over time.

The approach

IPC Partners worked collaboratively with Elipse Health to design and develop a comprehensive online training programme focused on environmental cleaning and disinfection. From the outset, the emphasis was on combining scientific evidence with practical relevance, ensuring that the content reflected both what the literature shows and what IPC teams encounter in day‑to‑day practice.

The programme was structured around four stand‑alone but interconnected modules, allowing learners to engage flexibly according to local need. Content development was by drawing on peer‑reviewed evidence, outbreak experience, and educational best practice. Particular attention was given to adult‑learning principles, with interactive elements, discussion prompts, and clear links between theory and application incorporated throughout.

The solution

The final programme comprised four online modules covering:

• The role of the healthcare environment in infection transmission,
• The principles of cleaning and disinfection,
• Practical application in low‑resource settings,
• The factors required to sustain effective IPC practice.

The training emphasised risk‑based thinking, helping learners understand the value and impact of various interventions, and how to prioritise actions when ideal conditions are not available.

The CPD-accredited modules were designed for online delivery and adaptability to low‑bandwidth settings, ensuring global accessibility. Throughout the programme, environmental hygiene is positioned as an integral component of patient safety, antimicrobial stewardship, and organisational culture.

Impact

The training programme was delivered to >250 healthcare professionals representing >200 different hospitals from 53 countries. The audience represented the multiprofessional group that is required to deliver an effective environmental hygiene programme, including infection prevention and control, microbiology, and estates and facilities staff. By addressing both technical principles and the human and system factors that influence implementation, the training delivered meaningful learning that can be applied across diverse clinical contexts. Participants reported very high learning outcomes, with average ratings above 4.7 out of 5 across all core competencies. 81% of delegates rated the overall quality as excellent, and selected “strongly agree” that the that trainers were knowledgeable and engaging.

Reflections

This collaboration illustrates the value of pairing IPC expertise with thoughtful design to deliver effective training. Environmental hygiene is often discussed in terms of products or protocols, but sustained impact depends on understanding, ownership, and adaptability. By focusing on these elements, the programme developed with Elipse Health supported improved knowledge leading to more resilient and sustained IPC practice.