We’re pleased to endorse the new Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Environmental Sustainability Statement, developed and endorsed by the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and organisations across the health and care sector.
Published on 21 October 2026, the statement sets out how evidence-based IPC principles can be used alongside safe, lower-carbon and circular clinical practices.
Infection prevention and control is essential for safe, effective patient care. As health and care services look for ways to reduce their environmental impact, the statement shows how IPC professionals can support responsible resource use, environmental sustainability and supply chain resilience, while keeping patient safety as the top priority.
The statement makes clear that evidence-based IPC and environmental sustainability can work together. It offers a framework for adopting sustainable clinical practices that support high-quality patient care and a more resilient health and care system. It also encourages organisations across the sector to take a shared approach to safe, effective and sustainable healthcare.
IPS is committed to advancing IPC practice. We therefore welcome the statement’s focus on evidence-based, risk-proportionate decisions and its recognition of the important part IPC professionals can play in wider sustainability goals.
Kerry Holden, President of the Infection Prevention Society, said: “The Infection Prevention Society (IPS) is proud to endorse this statement and its ambition. It reinforces that patient safety, infection prevention and environmental sustainability are not competing priorities- they are closely linked. By championing evidence-based, risk-proportionate practice, we can help build a more resilient, sustainable and effective health and care system for patients today and for future generations.”
The statement explains how evidence-based IPC principles can sit alongside safe, lower-carbon and circular clinical practices that offer good value for the health system. It also shows how IPC can underpin responsible resource use while maintaining the high safety standards patients and the public expect.
IPS is pleased to join organisations across health and care in supporting this important statement and its aim to make environmental sustainability part of safe, effective patient care.
