Health professional wearing a mask and hat.

Epic4: Guidelines for the prevention of healthcare-associated infections

About the guidelines

The Epic3 guideline for the prevention of healthcare-associated infections in hospitals in England (2014) is a NICE accredited guideline based on a rigorous systematic review of evidence and the involvement of key stakeholders in the scoping and evaluation process. The guideline informs infection prevention and control policy and practice across all NHS and private healthcare settings across the UK.

About the guidelines

NHS clinician with mask on looking at notepad

The updating of the Epic3 guideline is being undertaken as a collaboration between two professional societies, the Healthcare Infection Society and the Infection Prevention Society, and the University of West London, commencing in March 2024.

The full scope of the new guideline will be agreed by a multiprofessional group and lay representatives in Spring 2024, but is likely to provide guidance applicable across acute and non-acute healthcare settings and include the following:

  • preventing infections associated with urethral catheters, expanding scope to short- and long-term catheters
  • preventing infections associated with intravascular devices in acute and non-acute healthcare settings
  • preventing healthcare associated pneumonia
  • preventing infection associate with enteral feeding in acute and non-acute healthcare settings

Members

  • Guideline development group

    • Professor Heather Loveday - Richard Wells Research Centre, University of West London
    • Professor Jennie Wilson - Richard Wells Research Centre, University of West London
    • Dr Neil Wigglesworth - Richard Wells Research Centre, University of West London
    • Martin Kiernan - Visiting Professor, Richard Wells Research Centre, University of West London
    • Dr Carolynn Green - Post-doctoral Researcher, Richard Wells Research Centre, University of West London
    • Dr Aggie Bak - Healthcare Infection Society
    • Clinical Microbiologist - Healthcare Infection Society
    • Dr Jacqui Prieto - Infection Prevention Society and University of Southampton
    • Lois Woods - Information Scientist, University of Southampton

  • Guideline advisory group

    • Membership TBC.

Events

  • Stakeholder scoping meeting (May 2024)
  • Guideline advisory group in-person meetings (May 2024, April 2025)
  • Consultation on final draft guideline (May 2025)

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