What is the challenge your project is going to address and how does it connect to your chosen theme?

Antibiotic microbial resistance (AMR) poses an “enormous risk” to the NHS and the health service is already seeing the harmful effect on patient safety.

https://www.nursingtimes.net/news/public-health/rcn-welcomes-government-action-on-antimicrobial-resistance/7029474.article

Despite the knowledge and expertise in the Kent and Medway System regarding preventing infection and antimicrobial stewardship it has been difficult to drive forward and sustain system wide improvements that prevent harm.

Following the direction outlined in the NHS Long Term Plan East Kent health services will be forming into a Integrated Care Partnership that promotes provision of care regardless of organisational boundaries. To support that teams will need to come together to affect and sustain change. This is a unique opportunity for the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and AMR teams to come together to support the emerging systems to deliver safe and effective care.

What does your project aim to achieve?

The aim is to enhance capabilities to bring about system-wide improvement in IPC.

Objectives include:

Enabling IPC teams to work across organisational boundaries

Increase the capability of the teams to use quality improvement to work across boundaries and support the emerging Integrated Care Partnership to deliver Infection Prevention and Antimicrobial Stewardship as outlined in the 5 Year Antimicrobial Strategy (2019) and NHS Long Term Plan (2019)

Develop and implement innovative strategies to address staff behaviours, inform best practice and reduce AMR

How will the project be delivered?

East Kent CCGs will convene IPC and AMR teams from across the patch to form an AMR and IPC Collaborative where QI methodologies and behaviour change theories will be socialised to then develop plans to implement locally to tackle AMR. These will then be shared Kent and Medway wide using a existing collaborative group.

What and how is your project going to share learning throughout?

The CCG and provider website will be used to regular report project progress, providers will also share details in their staff and patient communications. The existing Kent and Medway AMR and IPC Committee that reports to the Prevention work stream of the Sustainability and Transformation Partnership will also be used for formal reporting and sharing of learning.

Members of the collaborative will be invited to join an online collaborative working space to remain in touch outside of meetings.