The Healthcare Infection Society (HIS) has published a new report calling for an urgent, systemic rethink of how hospitals are designed, built, and maintained in order to tackle the persistent threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs).
Titled, The silent pandemic: Healthcare infections and the need for better hospital design, the report was launched this week at the Healthcare Infection Society’s Annual Conference (HISCON).
Developed in partnership with built environment consultancy Sidara, the report highlights the ongoing crisis of HCAIs, which are estimated to cause 200 deaths globally every hour.
As a direct outcome of this work, the Healthcare Infection Society has also announced the formation of the Built Environment Infection Prevention Initiative
The report follows a workshop held in March 2025, bringing together experts from infection prevention and control (IPC), healthcare construction, engineering, and architecture.
It identifies systemic failures that continue to allow infection risks to persist in healthcare settings and offers practical recommendations for embedding IPC into the foundations of healthcare infrastructure projects.
Key recommendations outlined in the report include:
- Involving IPC professionals from the earliest stages of healthcare facility design and planning
- Introducing mandatory IPC training across all disciplines involved in healthcare projects
- Standardising design frameworks to support infection prevention
- Leveraging technological innovation, including artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) systems, to enhance monitoring and reduce human error
- Balancing clinical requirements with sustainability targets without compromising patient safety
The report identifies systemic failures that continue to allow infection risks to persist in healthcare setting
The report highlights the ongoing crisis of HCAIs, which are estimated to cause 200 deaths globally every hour.
As a direct outcome of this work, the Healthcare Infection Society has also announced the formation of the Built Environment Infection Prevention Initiative (BEIPI), a dedicated, cross-sector taskforce aimed at embedding infection prevention principles into the design, construction, and operational management of healthcare settings.
Commenting on the initiative, Dr Manjula Meda, Chair of the Healthcare Infection Society, said: “The creation of BEIPI is a vital next step. We need to move from conversation to coordinated action — making infection prevention a fundamental requirement of every healthcare build and renovation project.”
The report highlights the ongoing crisis of HCAIs, which are estimated to cause 200 deaths globally every hour
The final report is available to download from the HIS website, with a more detailed white paper due for publication in October 2025, coinciding with the Healthcare Estates Conference.
The Healthcare Infection Society is a membership, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to supporting educational initiatives that improve IPC practice and reduce levels of preventable HCAIs.
Its multidisciplinary membership includes doctors, nurses, laboratory specialists, estates and facilities managers, architects, and building contractors, all working collaboratively to prevent infection transmission in healthcare environments.