IVC Evidensia celebrated its first ‘Infection Prevention Month’ during autumn of 2023 and in doing so took another step towards meeting one of its key clinical standards and sustainability goals. 

The organisation held the event throughout October with the aim of further engaging its network with the fundamental principles of infection prevention while also increasing the number of Infection Prevention and Control Ambassadors (IPC Ambassadors) in its practices. 

Practice teams took part in a short activity every week to review their effectiveness in hand hygiene, clothes, shoes & PPE and environmental hygiene protocols, plus they took part in a short training webinar on chemical free cleaning. 

All activities were led by the practice’s IPC Ambassador, and practices that did not yet have a member of the team in the post were invited to sign up. 

This led to a 33% increase in the number of IPC Ambassadors across the network, with more than a third of practices in total across the UK & Ireland now having a named individual responsible for co-ordinating practice infection prevention implementation. 

This is a big step towards IVC Evidensia’s goal of having an IPC Ambassador in 75% of sites by 2025, under the ‘Caring for Patients’ pillar of its Positive Pawprint strategy. 

Lisa Tolfree, Infection Prevention & Control Manager, UK, said: “It was incredible to see how many of our practices engaged with Infection Prevention Month. It demonstrates the level of importance our teams place on their role of preventing the spread of infectious diseases and in turn support the reduction in use of antimicrobials. 

“Our IPC Ambassadors have access to an internal forum that they can use to share knowledge and it was fantastic to see the buzz coming from all over the UK & Ireland as everyone got involved with the weekly tasks.” 

All practices that completed the four weekly tasks were entered into a prize draw to win a microfibre cleaning kit for their practice worth £1,000 which promotes both the company’s sustainability aims through reducing chemical use while upholding high standards of hygiene, patient safety and colleague health and safety. 

The prize was won by Purton Vets in Cricklade, led by IPC Ambassador Jade Thacker. Jade said: “We’re really pleased to have won the prize draw for the cleaning kit, which we can use to further ensure Purton Vets is a welcoming, hygienic environment for all our clients. 

“The Infection Prevention Month campaign was a great opportunity to prioritise this important issue across the IVC Evidensia network.” 

Thanks to the success of the initiative IVC Evidensia is planning a further Infection Prevention Month in 2024.