Christine Fears, Head of Publishing and Research Comms at HIS represented HIS for the three-day meeting at WHO HQ in Geneva. Attendees were encouraged to share examples and perspectives on IPC challenges in their home nations, and talks were given on the science of implementation, as well as many useful conversations around policy, practicalities and teamwork in implementing the strategy.

Breakout groups discussed the seven strands of the Action Plan, including collaboration with IPC organisations and stakeholder support worldwide. Groups considered what HIS and other IPC societies globally can do to raise awareness of the Global Action Plan, and support those implementing it. The final day included a useful discussion of the terminology, education and emergency IPC responses, the impact of IPC on antimicrobial stewardship, and summed up implementation strategies for the Global Plan.

Christine commented:

“Reflecting on the three days of discussion, collaboration and planning, I was struck by the size of the challenge ahead, but so encouraged and inspired by the work done by the WHO IPC Hub team in developing and driving the Global Action Plan and Monitoring Framework on IPC. It was a privilege to meet IPC practitioners from across the globe, and humbling to hear from those working in settings with far fewer resources than the UK and Republic of Ireland as they tackle challenges with innovative thinking and creativity.”

Some key challenges arose from the discussions:

• How can we move away from working in our silos?
• How do we sway policymakers to adopt frameworks to implement good IPC practices globally?
• How can higher-income countries support those with fewer resources?
• How do we monitor and report back on success in IPC at a global level?

HIS will continue to work closely alongside WHO and will update members as the plan progresses into implementation and monitoring stages.