Prof. Heather Loveday1, Prof Jennie Wilson1, Ms Tracey Cooper5, Dr David Enoch4, Dr Carolynn Greene1, Ms Hannah Griffin1, Dr Andrew Lee2, Prof Malcolm Semple3, Ms Alison Tingle1
1University of West London, Ealing, United Kingdom
2University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
3University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
4Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom
5Hereford and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, Worcester, United Kingdom
Introduction: During the UK COVID-19 epidemic Infection Prevention & Control Services (IPC-S) in the UK faced unique challenges in preventing transmission of infection in health and social care settings. It is unclear how healthcare pandemic preparedness plans informed the response to COVID-19 and the extent to which they were effective. Evaluation of the pandemic response is essential to learn critical lessons for IPC services and build more effective and resilient IPC plans for future pandemics.
Methods: A two-phase, explanatory mixed methods design was used to evaluate the local context of IPC services in implementing pandemic preparedness plans and the impact of national guidance and policy decisions. This presentation focuses on an interim analysis of two of the initial case studies of local healthcare systems. Primary data collection was undertaken in semi structured interviews of key informants with supporting evidence from organisational reports and documentation of meetings where available. Individual cases were analysed using Framework Analysis and key themes identified.
Results: Interim analysis shows how IPC leads acted as boundary spanners across the system to implement national and local policy decisions. Explanatory themes include ‘simplifying complexity’, ‘constant readiness’, ‘adapting to crisis’.
Conclusions: These interim findings begin to suggest how IPC-S across the local health systems adapted and managed the complexity of the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of national policy decisions and local conditions.
Biography: Professor of Evidence-based Healthcare, Director of Research at the Richard Wells Research Centre, and Director of the JBI Centre for Evidence-based Healthcare at the University of West London.
A national and international leader in the field of infection prevention and control and patient safety, Heather has been at the forefront of translational research and evaluation of implementation, and lead author of national evidence-based guidelines for the prevention of HCAI in England. She is widely published in the field of infection prevention and control practice and has served in a number of leadership roles in the Infection Prevention Society.