Health and social care - infection prevention and control strategy: vision and priority statements

Executive Summary

Graphic text below:

Purpose

To set out the long-term national vision for infection prevention and control (IPC) in Scotland.

Scope

Applicable to all settings where health and social care is delivered.

Ten-year vision

A Scotland where preventable infection is minimised for people accessing, using or providing health and social care.

Rising trend

National surveillance shows that healthcare-associated infections rates are increasing.^[1]

The impact

• In 2021 7,500 HAI incidents across NHS Scotland each year*²
• £46.4 million estimated annual cost*^[2]
• 58,010 bed‑days lost*^[2]
• £10.8 million in healthcare-associated infection‑related post‑discharge costs every year^[3]
• Healthcare-associated infections led to 62,500 days of absenteeism among front‑line healthcare professionals in England^[4]

*Annual hospital‑only estimates (pre‑pandemic)

Strategic priorities

• Political commitment, governance, leadership and policies
• Proactive national and local IPC programmes
• IPC integration and coordination
• IPC education, training and IPC career development for health and social care workforce
• Data for action
• Advocacy and communications
• Research, development and innovation
• Collaboration and stakeholders’ support

Why it matters

A significant proportion of health and social care-associated infections are preventable

Prevention improves safety, outcomes, and experience

Reduced infections = less pressure on health and social care resources

Lost staffing time increases pressure on front-line staff

The opportunity

• Realising opportunities set out within and alignment with Scotland’s 2025‑2035 Health & Social Care Service Renewal Framework, Population Health Framework and Antimicrobial Resistance National Action Plan to drive better population health and care.
• Helps reduce waiting lists, reduce staff absences and improve access to planned care.
• This strategy provides the opportunity to see IPC across the whole system.
• If Scotland reduces healthcare-associated infection incidence by just 10% it’s estimated that:
  • 5,800 bed‑days could be freed annually^[5]
  • Capacity to treat 1,706 additional elective patients^[5]