Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) is key to healthcare delivery and health promotion in the community, in primary care and in secondary and tertiary care. Sustainable IPC maximises value from IPC practice, in terms of prevention of the spread of infection, while minimising resource use. Resources used in healthcare include environmental resources, financial resources, staff time and patient and carer time.
The purpose of this network is to enable sharing of good practice and networking between those delivering IPC in community, primary or secondary care to improve the sustainability of IPC practice.
How we started
In 2024, the Infection Prevention Society and the Healthcare Infection Society have stated their commitments to promoting planetary health and environmental sustainability. The British Infection Association and British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy have staff dedicated to working on environmental sustainability. Building on this momentum, members of these societies have collaborated to found this network to support IPC colleagues to include both the patient and the planet in the risk assessment when delivering IPC practice, and to share successful projects innovations that maintain patient safety in a sustainable way.
Are you interested in making infection prevention and control more sustainable? Are you a healthcare professional, patient, student, academic or someone else with a vested interest in sustainability?
Volunteer with us and lead our network into a greener future. For more details see our Volunteer Job Advert and get in touch with CSH Networks Lead, Olly.
Networks goals
- Develop and share ‘how to guides’ for at least 2 quality improvement projects in SusIPC – 1 year
- Calculate and share carbon savings for 2 QIPs.. – 2 years
- ADVOCACY – see change in published guidelines to highlight that PPE use must be rational balancing risks, including of infection and of overuse, for example NHSE guidelines
- To have an active IPC SusNet network with at least 8 posts a month
Key resources:
Intensive Care Society webpage
Network Lead: Holly Slyne
Join the network
You will need to Log in or sign up to the hub, to join this network.
Network members can create and post, as well as view resources, events, discussion topics and more.
Stream tab : conversations happening across the network (say hi, suggest a topic of conversation, ask a question and more).
Members tab : all other members in your network.
Resources tab : published articles, case studies, measurement tools and more.
Topics tab : the latest topics and discussions (like the streams tab but you will be able to see all conversations, links and other items posted by fellow members).
Events tab : all upcoming events in your network.
Start by saying hi!
New to the network? Haven’t introduced yourself yet? Or keen to make new connections and get chatting sustainable healthcare? Take a minute to introduce yourself.
Tell us about you, your name, organisation, area of work, sustainability project you are working on, or thinking of working on, and any questions or topics you’d like to talk about. Check out other members’ posts and get a conversation started today!