Integrating Infection Prevention into Health Care Delivery

This grant puts forward a vision to develop an internationally recognised Centre for translational research, training and leadership in Infection Prevention and Management which aims to improve health systems, healthcare delivery and directly improve patient care and safety. It focuses on the key Public Health priorities in hospitals and healthcare associated infection as well as antibiotic resistance. A large number of different groups based in Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, the UK Health Protection Agency and a commercial partner Dr Foster develop positive interaction, build on a strong local track record for developing an organisational approach to infection prevention within the Imperial Trust.

The programme of research has four main workstreams. The first investigates the embedding of infection prevention within NH organisational structures and looks at how best to implement innovation and best practice. It also examines how techniques of social marketing and behaviour change can be used to improve infection control and antibiotic prescribing. The second work stream which involves studies into clinical infection, molecular epidemiology, pathogenesis and diagnostics, focuses on identifying factors in the bug and the patient which affect the spread and carriage of serious healthcare associated infection. The aim is to develop new diagnostic tools and ultimately new vaccines and treatments. The third work stream of the project looks at the best way of developing and utilising infection surveillance schemes across primary and secondary healthcare as well as informing the research in work stream two. There will be a focus on surveillance of high risk populations and evaluation of systems to monitor antibiotic resistance and best prescribing practice. The final work stream, is to develop multidisciplinary training to generate a specifically skilled academic and clinical scientific and medical work force to deliver clinical care, research and leadership in infection prevention. Amongst novel approaches being taken includes the focus on e-learning, the development of MSc and short courses and education at PhD level of a series of academic managers.

All workstreams have a series of identifiable outputs and their achievement will reflect the success of the research. In the final analysis, overall success will the development of sustainable and internationally recognised centre for infection prevention and management which improves patient outcomes. Alterations in organisational behaviour, new technology, the uptake of innovation, sustainable recruitment and training capacity with continual close working between partner organisations will be further evidence of success.

The vision in this grant is to develop a translational & applied research and training centre for improving health systems and health care delivery to address the challenge of health care associated infection (HCAI) and antibiotic resistance which are national health priorities. The vision brings together clinical, public health, academic and managerial expertise to drive forward translational research across secondary and primary care. The first objective is to embed infection prevention within NHS management, service delivery and organisational development. The second objective is to apply molecular epidemiology, molecular pathogenesis and rapid diagnostics to patient management, patient pathways and surveillance. Next the grant will investigate the development and utilization of infection surveillance schemes. The fourth objective is to optimize the management of antibiotics in the NHS. The fifth and final objective is to develop multidisciplinary capacity building in infection. The grant takes advantage of the full range of academic skills across diverse departments at Imperial College together with the skills at the Health Protection Agency and epidemiological, data management & behavioural science expertise of the industrial partner, Dr. Foster Intelligence. This sustainable research programme is designed to foster new leaders in infection research, infection management, in NHS organisational change, in infection surveillance, in antibiotic management both by developing skills of those in post and by training the next generation of personnel required to integrate infection prevention into health care delivery. It will interact with ongoing research initiatives across the Infection Theme at Imperial College to support development of academics interested in the applied molecular epidemiology and molecular pathogenesis of infection. The programme will be managed by a Management Board including senior staff at Imperial College and its associated NHS Trust which includes Prof S. Smith, Chief Executive and Head of the Faculty of Medicine and will be monitored externally via an International Advisory Board.