What We Want to See | Infection Management Coalition

What We Want to See: A Holistic Approach to Infection Management

The 4 Pillars of the IMC

1. Outbreak and Pandemic Preparedness

More accurate death certification for infection, sepsis, and AMR
Global systems surveillance
Renewed focus on the research and development of new antimicrobials/ treatment options
Adequate manufacturing/stockpiling capabilities of new antimicrobials (antibiotics, antifungal, antiparasitic and antivirals) for threats with pandemic potential.

3. Rapid Recognition, Diagnosis and Treatment of Time-critical Viral and Bacterial Infections

Increased public awareness of bacterial infections
Improved and rapid diagnosis
Recognition and treatment through public health
More HCP training
Healthcare systems and pathways designed around the diagnosis and treatment of bacterial infections

2. Infection Prevention

Holistic infection management strategy and commissioning criteria
Improved screening
Better sanitation & hygiene
Buildings and system design around minimising infection
Increased vaccination
Greater public awareness of infection

4. Antimicrobial Stewardship

Streamlined therapeutic pipeline
Clear deployment of effective antimicrobial prescribing
Rapid diagnostics, including pathogen identification, resistance and early signs of sepsis
Access standards for patients and infection risk tools
Greater public awareness
Specific media advocacy on AMS

To deliver on these pillars, we are calling for the government to:

Develop infection management strategies and delivery plans for adoption across the UK

National health departments should translate the AMR NAP commitments into locally applicable strategies for infection management – particularly related to prevention, AMS and sepsis – through incentives such as Best Practice Tariffs. This should include measurable success metrics and ensure that national standards are applied equally across the UK and there are coordinated efforts to meet human health and infection management targets, especially around AMS and sepsis. These strategies need to integrate surveillance, prevention, diagnosis and treatment elements and clearly acknowledge where actions require major structural change or increased resourcing.

Health Education England should create role-specific training on IPC, AMS and sepsis management, including guidance on the use of diagnosis and appropriate treatment methods, to support the integration of AMR and IPC teams across geographic units of the healthcare system for roll out ahead of winter 2026.
The Government should commit to developing a refreshed National Action Plan for Sepsis to provide sepsis-specific management strategies across the healthcare system and to drive prevention and early diagnosis standards.

Standardise the targets and responsibilities of dedicated infection management teams across UK health system structure

National governments should harmonise the targets and responsibilities of existing infection management teams at devolved level (e.g. ICS IPC teams in England or IPC Services in Scottish Regional Health Boards) to provide strategic coordination and direction and ensure alignment with national infection management targets. These teams should have dedicated contact points in NHS provider organisations and be accountable for overseeing the improvement of practices and delivery of infection management services , including a specific focus on improving education around and detection and diagnosis of hospital acquired infections and sepsis.

Create a national registry for infection management

DHSC, in collaboration with other health departments in the devolved nations and relevant agencies such as the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), should establish an Infection Management Data Registry in 2026 to integrate diagnostics, demographic and vital signs data, prescribing, and outcomes data across all care settings. The registry should enable real-time surveillance and benchmarking, driving future interventions.

Establish processes for sharing best practices and integrating investment in infection management

The Government should fund national mechanisms to identify, evaluate, and scale best practices in infection management, while aligning and integrating budgets covering infection prevention, diagnostics, treatment, and stewardship, to support long-term system-wide improvements.

National governments should commit ring-fenced funding to enable the adoption and interoperability of innovative technologies to meet AMR NAP commitments to improve access and utilisation of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic technologies.