James Price, Chair of the Professional Development Committee expressed “The release of the e-learning platform is a significant step towards creating a modernised learning environment for the infection prevention and control (IPC) community. The Professional Development Committee alongside the HIS team have spent a lot of time and effort to perfect the platform and I want to express my gratitude to the whole team.”

Access to the platform is not limited to HIS members (but they do receive a discounted rate), ensuring that healthcare professionals worldwide are able to access education that is consistent with the highest standards and current guidelines. The modules are delivered by world class experts in their field.

The first course to launch on the new platform will be the redeveloped HIS/UKHSA Foundation Course in IPC. The course features five modules of on-demand content delivered by our experts and curated to address the latest developments in the field of infection control. Many of its modules align with the new Education Framework for the Infection Prevention and Control Practitioner (IPC) Workforce released by NHS England last month.

Dr Elisabeth Ridgway, President of HIS, emphasised the importance of the course as part of infection control professionals’ education pathways, stating, "Infection control is pivotal to patient safety, and creating this innovative course allows us to provide relevant and up-to-date content for a wide range of healthcare professionals."

The redeveloped course is offered on our new eLearning platform in two formats: a full programme with live sessions and an on-demand self-led learning version. Discover more about each format by clicking on the hyperlinks.

Both formats cover a wide range of topics:

• Basics in IPC - including, isolation, hand hygiene, device-associated infections, respiratory viruses, HCID
• Pathogen-based approach to IPC - including epidemiology of common pathogens and the use of typing in outbreak investigation
• IPC in the built environment - including ventilation, water management, disinfection and sterilisation
• Principles of surveillance and stewardship - including essential tools, surveillance of AMR and stewardship, surveillance applied to HCAI, using data for local action.
• Leadership and managing change - including behavioural science, structure of IPC services, communication, sustainability

The course is designed to cater to the needs of all IPC practitioners, including medical trainees in infection-related specialties, newly appointed consultants, nurses and clinical scientists to gain a firm grounding in infection prevention and control.

As healthcare workers across the globe continue to grapple with the challenges of infection prevention and control following the pandemic, the HIS E-Learning Platform will be a vital resource that equips them with the knowledge and skills they need to safeguard patient health.