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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

📅 Recorded: 18 March 2026 ⏱ Duration: 44 minutes 🎙 Host: Dr Jon Otter 🎓 Guest speaker: Dr Beatriz Larru Martinez (Consultant in Paediatric Infectious Diseases & Infection Prevention) In this IPC Partners Journal Club, Dr Beatriz Larru Martinez presents and critically appraises a major US study evaluating hospital‑onset bacteraemia and fungaemia as a potential healthcare quality and patient safety metric. The session explores whether hospital‑onset bacteraemia could complement or improve on existing surveillance approaches, particularly in settings where traditional metrics may miss a substantial proportion of preventable harm. Drawing on evidence from large multi‑centre studies and paediatric data, the discussion considers 'preventability', risk adjustment, and the practical implications for surveillance, benchmarking, and quality improvement. Key topics include: - What is hospital‑onset bacteraemia and how is it defined? - Strengths and limitations of CLABSI as a surveillance metric - Preventable vs non‑preventable bacteraemia - The role of vascular access (central and peripheral lines) - Gut translocation, contaminants, and overlooked sources of harm - Denominator choice and inter‑hospital comparison - Implications for IPC practice, automation, and patient safety As always, the session features an interactive Q&A and wide‑ranging discussion around how surveillance metrics influence behaviour, improvement, and outcomes. 🔔 Subscribe for future Journal Clubs and IPC Partners Insight Webinars 📚 More recordings: Available on the IPC Partners YouTube channel 🌐 Live events and registration: See IPC Partners website