Providing inspiration and education for infection prevention and control professionals, Infection Prevention 2012 will provide an insight into best practice, innovation and ideas for improvement.
Infection prevention and control experts are set to gather at Infection Prevention 2012, to discuss the latest research and innovation – aimed at reducing the burden of healthcare-associated infection in the UK. Taking place at the ACC, Liverpool, 1-3 October, the event continues to offer delegates an educational, informative and inspiring conference, with access to the latest infection prevention solutions and breakthrough technologies.
Programme
The programme incorporates a cross section of infection prevention and control topics that will update, educate and enthuse both those new to this important area of clinical practice and those looking to expand their existing and extensive knowledge. Highlights of the programme are listed below and these lectures, together with the rest of the programme, provide the latest information on clinical and professional topics that are essential for any professional working in infection prevention and control.
Monday 1 October:
The conference will open with a session from Dr Benedetta Allegranzi, technical lead, World Health Organization (WHO) on the “Global burden of healthcare associated infections”. Dr Allegranzi will provide delegates with an understanding of the worldwide burden of HCAIs, discuss the differing worldwide challenges and explore opportunities for improvement.
Later on Monday morning will be an informative lecture on ventilation: “Which way does the wind blow?” from Mr Craig Macintosh, principal clinical scientist, Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. In this session Mr Macintosh will put ventilation and air hygiene into context in terms of overall causes of HCAIs, identify the basic principles of ventilation systems, and suggest a role for the audience as users of the systems.
The morning will conclude with The EM Cottrell Lecture, dedicated to the first infection control nurse appointed in the UK, and given by Professor Judith Tanner, professor of clinical nursing research, De Montfort University. Entitled “Think; Plan; Do", in this session Professor Tanner will aim to show how a ‘can do’ attitude can be developed, while demystifying research and discussing how research can be implemented into practice.
The final session on Monday will be an interactive courtroom enactment, “Infection prevention in the dock” by 7 Solicitors LLP. The objectives of this session are to take the mystery and fear out of courtroom appearances while providing an insight into how to conduct oneself if summoned to appear in court.
Tuesday 2 October
The highlights of the second day of conference include a session from Professor Ian Cumming OBE, national director for quality during transition, National Quality Team, on “Improving quality during times of transition”. Professor Cumming will explain the importance of continual quality improvement and the challenges faced improving quality during times of transition, and examine the processes and systems required to ensure high quality care is delivered during transition to a new healthcare system.
Concurrently, Dr Julie Hughes, nurse consultant/senior lecturer, 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Foundation Trust/University of Chester, will deliver an insightful session entitled “An ethnographic study of infection prevention and control in a mental health Trust”. The objectives of this session will be to gain an in depth study of the challenges involved in complying with infection prevention in a mental health trust, gain an insight into the role of leadership, role models and organisational structure within infection prevention and control, and identify the educational /training preparation and the needs of healthcare workers in relation to infection prevention and control and make recommendations for practice.
Wednesday 3 October
Day three will start with the second eponymous lecture, The Ayliffe Lecture, which will be given by the renowned Professor Andreas Voss, professor of infection control, Canisius-Wilhelmina Hospital, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, The Netherlands.
The morning will feature two additional concurrent highlights, the first of which is “Surface coatings – a review of the evidence” from Christopher Gush, head of clinical innovation and research, Royal College of General Practitioners. In this session Christopher Gush will consider the rationale for antimicrobial surfaces in healthcare, will provide an overview of available antimicrobial surfaces and will illustrate gaps in the evidence for the use of antimicrobial surfaces.
The second of these concurrent sessions is on “E-coli - Management of an international wide e-coli outbreak” from Professor Dilys Morgan, head, gastrointestinal, emerging and zoonotic infections, Health Protection Agency. The objectives for this session are to understand the complexities and challenges of dealing with an international outbreak, identify the mechanisms for case finding on an international scale, and understand international surveillance systems and control measures.
These are just some of the highlights of Infection Prevention 2012 and there are numerous other sessions to keep delegates interested. For the full programme visit www.ips.uk.net and follow the link to Infection Prevention 2012.
Available to view: highlights from 2011
To provide a taster of this important educational event, each month a speaker presentation and slides from the 2011 conference is being uploaded to the IPS website, a link to which can be found on the IPS Homepage: www.ips.uk.net. Presentations which have been uploaded so far include the following 2011 sessions, which are currently available online for viewing:
• EM Cottrell lecture “Stronger Together”: Anne Bialachowski, Immediate Past President, Community and Hospital Infection Control Association, Canada (CHICA).
• “Dare to soar - Your attitude determines your altitude”: Tricia Hart, Deputy CEO, Director of Nursing and Patient Safety and DIPC, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation.
• “The Hepatitis ‘C’hallenge – the national picture” Koye Balogun, Epidemiology Scientist, Centre for Infections, Health Protection Agency.
• “Reducing urinary catheter associated infections in care homes” Dr Cliodna McNulty, Head, Primary Care Unit, Health Protection Agency.
Oral presentations and posters
A highlight of the annual IPS Conference is always the oral presentations and posters. The 2011 event featured over 100 posters and 12 oral presentations which covered a huge range of subjects and provided an invaluable resource during conference. 2012 promises to offer a similar array of quality information.
The exhibition
The exhibition at Infection Prevention 2012 will feature products and services from over 100 companies working within infection prevention and control. Some of these companies will be long term supporters of IPS, but the exhibition will also feature some new faces, new products and recent innovations. The exhibition offers the ideal opportunity to discuss your particular infection prevention and control requirements with a huge range of specialist companies.
Social events
The exceptional educational programme at Infection Prevention 2012 is enhanced by the social events, which allow valuable time for building up relationships with fellow infection prevention and control colleagues. For those who would like to explore Liverpool, there is a tour of the host city the Sunday afternoon before conference begins, which will take in the city’s historical sights and will include a trip on the Mersey ferry.
The Monday morning of conference starts with the annual “Run, Walk or Crawl for IFIC”, delegates are encouraged to pull on their running shoes and be part of this year’s 5K route in Liverpool to raise money for the International Federation of Infection Control (IFIC). Monday evening’s entertainment is an indoor cirque extravaganza at the Circo Bar on Albert Docks, which will feature acrobatics, fun and games. The social programme finale is the annual Gala Dinner, which will be held on the Tuesday evening at the prestigious St George’s Hall.
CPD
Conference provides the ideal opportunity for continual professional development for all healthcare professionals. All delegates will receive a certificate of attendance after the event which will record the sessions that they have attended. In addition the programme has been awarded 15 Continuing Profession Development (CPD) credits for medical staff from the Royal College of Pathologists. All sessions will be mapped against the IPS competences, this information will also be on the certificates of attendance and full information will be available online. The mapped chart will help delegates decide which sessions they should attend as part of their professional development.
Twitter
Infection Prevention 2012 is also on twitter. For the latest conference news and information, visit https://twitter.com/ipsconf
