New strategy to prevent and control infection 

Scotland has become the first nation in the UK to publish an integrated infection prevention and control strategy covering both health and social care settings, as part of efforts to protect patients, residents and staff from preventable infection. 

The publication of ‘An Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Strategy for Scotland: Vision and Priority Statements’ aims to, over the next ten years, minimise preventable infection for everyone who accesses, uses or provides health and social care. 

It is also the first time the Scottish Government has published a dedicated strategy for infection prevention and control in care homes and social care – following the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, which highlighted the significant burden of infection in long-term care settings. 

The strategy sets out eight priority areas, including strengthened governance and leadership, proactive national and local IPC programmes, improved data and surveillance, and expanded education, training and career development for the health and social care workforce. It will be followed by a series of multi-year action plans to deliver the vision in practice. 

For care home residents, this means better training for care home staff on infection control practices previously focused mainly on hospitals; improved data and surveillance to catch and stop the spread of infection earlier in hospitals, helping to free up beds. And for staff, working in hospitals, care-homes or the community, it means clearer leadership on infection prevention in their workplace.

Chief Nursing Officer for Scotland, Professor Aisha Holloway said: 

"Infection prevention and control is fundamental to safe, high-quality care. Every day across Scotland we see how effective IPC processes and practice reduces avoidable harm, protects patients, service users and staff, and builds trust in the health and social care services that we all rely on.  

“We do not underestimate the scale of the challenge — health and social care-associated infections continue to cause significant harm, in both hospital and community settings.  

“This strategy responds to that reality with a system-wide approach. The experience and insight of the health and social care workforce across Scotland will be central to shaping the action plans that bring this strategy to life." 

Healthcare-associated infections currently account for an estimated 7,500 incidents across NHS Scotland each year, at an estimated annual cost of £46.4 million. Reducing healthcare-associated infection incidence by just 10% could free up an estimated 5,800 bed-days annually and create capacity to treat around 1,700 additional elective patients.