The Details That Matter: Tackling the Hidden Risks in Infection Control – Future HealthSpaces Webinar 8

In our latest Future HealthSpaces webinar, experts across infection prevention and control (IPC), healthcare planning, and engineering came together to discuss the hidden risks in infection control. From the challenges of designing safer healthcare environments to the realities of compliance versus safety, the panel explored how healthcare settings can better integrate infec

tion prevention at every stage of the built environment. Below are some key takeaways from an insightful discussion.

Embedding IPC from the Start: Why It Matters

One of the key discussions focused on the role of IPC in healthcare planning and the gaps that often emerge when infection control is not embedded early enough.

"We obviously know that we need to interweave IPC as a golden thread through all of the project stages, but I think there needs to be more clarity coming from some of the colleges and some of the more guidance-focused organisations on what that actually looks like in everyday life." - Alyson Prince.

Waiting too long to integrate IPC measures often leads to costly redesigns or ineffective solutions, making it crucial to embed infection control from the outset. Integrating infection control early on ensures that practical, workable measures are embedded from the outset rather than applied as last-minute fixes.

"If we don’t do the first stage correctly, if we don’t provide the appropriate level of information, and if that brief—the production of that brief—has not been a truly collaborative piece of work across all the disciplines who care, then we're setting off on the wrong foot." - Crispin Walkling-Lea.

Beyond Compliance: Prioritising Practical Safety

Regulatory compliance is a starting point, but it does not always guarantee patient safety. The challenge is to balance strict adherence to guidelines with real-world application, ensuring that regulations do not hinder innovative, practical solutions.

"You can be compliant but not be safe. In the engineering world, that's exactly the same. The guidance stops us thinking as individuals. It stops us making better, creating better solutions that are bespoke to our own built environment." - George McCracken.

Rather than relying on rigid standard guidance, a more flexible, risk-based approach tailored to each healthcare setting ensures better infection control outcomes. Ensuring that infection control measures evolve with emerging threats is vital in keeping healthcare environments safe.

"We need to move to a point where we really think about the built environment, the patient population, and the organisms in that space together. Because the right solution will depend on what you have." - Elaine Cloutman-Green.

Hidden Risks in Ventilation and Water Safety

Despite its critical role in infection control, ventilation remains one of the least understood and often neglected aspects of healthcare design. Many facilities operate without fully understanding whether their ventilation systems are working as intended or contributing to the problem.

"I have been to dozens and dozens of sites, and when you look at a ventilation grill in the ceiling of a clinical room and ask, ‘What does that do?’ staff often have no idea. Some of them have been switched off for years, and nobody knows why. That’s a real problem." - Andrew Garner.

Waterborne infections, particularly from Pseudomonas and Legionella, continue to pose a challenge. While significant progress has been made, there remains a need for greater awareness and practical engineering solutions. Engineering solutions like UVC technology in ventilation systems are being explored as more effective alternatives to conventional methods.

Resourcing Challenges: Making IPC a Priority

The challenge of embedding IPC into healthcare design isn’t just about awareness—it’s about resources. With overstretched teams and competing priorities, infection control specialists are often brought in too late, leaving critical infection prevention measures sidelined.

"One of the biggest challenges is that IPC teams are stretched thin, balancing their clinical responsibilities alongside design input. Without dedicated resources, infection prevention risks being overlooked in key stages of healthcare planning." - Crispin Walkling-Lea

With IPC teams stretched thin, knowledge transfer is another challenge. Junior staff members may not yet have the experience to identify potential infection control risks during the design process, leading to missed opportunities for safer solutions and in some cases, compromised facilities.

Clinical Wash Basins: A Necessary Debate

The topic of clinical wash hand basin placement was mentioned by one of our event attendees. Our panel of speakers had a number of different takes on this, some arguing for their removal to mitigate waterborne infection risks. Others, however, pointed out that reducing sinks can introduce unintended hygiene challenges.

"Removing something is not always the safest solution. Thinking about how you're going to use it safely is the way that we need to be doing it." - Elaine Cloutman-Green.

Eliminating sinks may reduce some risks, but it can also lead to unintended hygiene lapses. A nuanced, case-by-case approach is necessary to ensure both infection control and practical usability.

Mental Health Environments: Finding the Right Balance

In mental health facilities, the need for infection control must be weighed against the importance of creating a calm, homely environment. Overly clinical designs may inadvertently harm patient well-being, making thoughtful IPC integration essential.

"Patients with mental illness aren't physically sick in terms of being immunosuppressed. We have to try and make the environment as much like a domestic setting as possible while keeping it safe. That’s a fine balance." - George McCracken.

In mental health facilities, infection control must be carefully balanced with maintaining a therapeutic environment, reinforcing the need for early and informed IPC input into design.

Interested in joining the conversation? Join one of our upcoming events.