The mission to reduce the incidence of surgical site infection continues to gain momentum, with a high impact programme of expert insights at this year’s OneTogether conference.
Dedicated to reducing the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs), the OneTogether UK Expert Conference 2025 is taking place on the 6 March 2025 at the National Conference Centre, Birmingham. Organised as part of a partnership between the Infection Prevention Society, Central Sterilising Club, Association for Perioperative Practice, The College of Operating Department Practitioners and Solventum, the event brings together top experts to drive improvement.
SSIs account for 16% of healthcare associated infections and are associated with considerable morbidity, mortality and increased costs of care. Around 5% of all surgical patients develop an SSI and those patients that experience an infection are five times more likely to be readmitted and are twice as likely to die.
Surveillance of SSIs in NHS hospitals in England (April 2023 to March 2024), by the UKHSA, shows that Enterobacterales continued to make up the highest proportion of causative organisms across all surgical categories for both superficial (29.9%) and deep or organ and space (30.1%) SSIs.
Compared to the previous year, the proportion of SSIs caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) showed marginal increases for superficial (2.1% and 2.3%) infections and decreases for deep or organ and space infections (2.5% and 2.4%), while the proportion caused by meticillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) decreased for both superficial (17.3% and 15.9%) and deep or organ and space infections (18.4% and 17.2%.)
While progress has been achieved in tackling SSIs in UK hospitals, there is still room for significant improvement and sharing best practices can help to reduce unnecessary readmissions, reduce the length of hospital stay, reduce costs for healthcare providers and, most importantly, improve outcomes and the quality of life for patients.
The mission of the OneTogether partners is to promote and support the spread and adoption of best practice to prevent SSIs across the surgical patient pathway. By connecting interested professionals in surgery, infection prevention and key industry partners for the healthcare community, OneTogether is striving to improve overall patient care.
OneTogether aims to:
- Raise the profile of SSI.
- Share a suite of resources to support quality improvement in surgical care, based on current guidance.
- Engage healthcare professionals and institutions to make a difference at every level to reduce SSI and improve patient outcomes.
- Share best practice across all specialties.
- Leverage the strength and reach of professional associations, industry partners and online platforms to educate and engage.
The programme
OneTogether UK Expert Conference features a diverse and informative one-day programme, featuring top experts in the field of SSI. Delegates can look forward to the following sessions:
- Why Surveillance is Needed and Where to Start - Jo Taylor, Deputy DIPC and Consultant Nurse.
- OneTogether Resources - Debbie Xuerub, Advanced Practice Nurse IPC.
- Beyond the Hospital: Understanding the Impact of Post-Discharge Surveillance vs. Surgical Wound Monitoring - Melissa Rochon, Trust Lead for SSI Surveillance, Research & Innovation.
- Human Factors: Practical OneTogether Strategies - Matt Ashman, National Lead, Theatre & Recovery Services.
- Supporting Harmed Patients - Lisa O'Dwyer, Director of Legal Services.
- Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) - Samantha Machin, Associate Director or Patient Safety.
- Using OneTogether to Improve Practice - Pat Cattini, Corporate Director Infection Prevention and Control.
- Management of Wound Infection After Caesarean Section - Sarah Winfield, Consultant Obstetrician.
- Royal Papworth - Eleonora Iervella, Surgical Pathway Infection Control Nurse.
- An ODP in IP&C - Emma Marshall, Senior Infection Control Practitioner.
The full programme is available at: https://fitwise.eventsair.com/onetogether2025/programme
