International Infection Prevention & Control Week 2025

Every year during the third week of October, the world marks International Infection Prevention and Control Week (IIPW), a global campaign to highlight the importance of Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) in safeguarding public health. In 2025, the week runs from 19 to 25 October, under the empowering theme “Stand UPPP for Infection Prevention: Unite. Protect. Prevent. Prevail.”

This theme, led by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), reminds us that preventing infection isn’t just the job of healthcare workers; it’s a shared responsibility across every workplace, organisation, and community.

In this blog, Anna Nova Galeon will explore what infection prevention and control really mean, why IIPW 2025 matters for regulated organisations, and how you can strengthen your compliance and governance frameworks to keep people and your business safe.

Understanding Infection Prevention and Control (IPC)

Infection prevention and control (IPC) refers to the evidence-based measures designed to prevent infections caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites. These measures reduce the spread of infections in all environments, from hospitals and care homes to schools, laboratories, and corporate offices.

Key terms to understand:

• Infection prevention - Proactive measures to stop infections before they occur

• Infection control - Actions taken to contain or mitigate infections once detected

• Healthcare-Associated Infection (HAI) - An infection acquired in a care or clinical setting that was not present before admission.

For highly regulated organisations, IPC is not merely a health issue; it’s a compliance, governance, and risk management imperative. Whether your sector is healthcare, food production, education, or manufacturing, infection risks can directly affect your regulatory standing, workforce safety, and operational resilience.

Why International Infection Prevention Week 2025 matters

The sections below explore what infection prevention and control mean, why IIPW 2025 matters for regulated organisations, and how to strengthen compliance in practice:

The 2025 theme - Stand UPPP for infection prevention

The 2025 campaign theme, “Unite. Protect. Prevent. Prevail.”, calls organisations to work collectively in reducing infection risks and promoting everyday prevention behaviours.

Each element of the theme carries a powerful message:

• Unite - Everyone, from leadership to frontline staff, must act together

• Protect - Safeguard people, environments, and systems through consistent hygiene and safe practices

• Prevent - Eliminate avoidable infections by embedding prevention in daily routines

• Prevail - Build long-term resilience and a culture of vigilance against emerging threats.

This theme reflects a vital truth: infection prevention is a shared responsibility that begins with awareness but must be sustained through culture, accountability, and compliance.

Beyond healthcare - A cross-sector responsibility

While IPC is often associated with hospitals, the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent outbreaks have underscored its universal relevance. Any organisation that manages people, products, or environments must apply IPC principles to ensure business continuity, employee well-being, and legal compliance.

A timely reminder for regulated industries

In highly regulated sectors, poor infection control can lead to inspection failures, enforcement actions, or reputational damage. IIPW 2025 provides the perfect opportunity to reassess your organisation’s hygiene practices, update your policies, and ensure your workforce remains trained and compliant.

Practical steps to strengthen infection prevention

The sections below outline five key practical steps that organisations can take to strengthen infection prevention, from leadership and training to culture and continuous improvement: 

1. Leadership and governance

• Make IPC a strategic priority, not just an operational task

• Embed infection control in your governance and audit frameworks

• Assign clear accountability to the person who oversees IPC training, compliance, and incident escalation.

2. Workforce training and competence

• Deliver mandatory infection prevention training for all staff

• Reinforce practical measures such as correct PPE use, hand hygiene, and waste disposal

• Integrate IPC into Continuous Professional Development (CPD) to maintain staff competence.

3. Policy and environmental controls

• Review and update your IPC policy annually

• Implement standard operating procedures for cleaning, ventilation, and disinfection

• Audit high-risk areas and maintain traceable cleaning logs for regulatory assurance.

4. Monitoring and continuous improvement

• Conduct regular audits and spot checks to assess hygiene compliance

• Establish clear incident reporting protocols and root-cause analyses

• Use the data to drive measurable improvements and demonstrate accountability.

5. Culture and engagement

• Build a safety culture where everyone takes ownership of infection prevention

• Utilise IIPW 2025 to engage your workforce, conduct awareness sessions, share success stories, and recognise IPC champions

• Encourage open communication so staff feel empowered to report risks or suggest improvements.

Aligning IPC with regulatory compliance

For organisations under the Care Quality Commission (CQC), Ofsted, HSE, or ISO-certified frameworks, infection prevention directly links to key regulatory domains such as safety, quality, and leadership.

Examples of compliance connections:

• CQC Regulation 12 (Safe Care and Treatment) - Requires providers to prevent and control infection

• Ofsted’s Leadership and Management Framework - Expects proactive risk management and safe environments for learners and staff

• HSE Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations - Mandates hygienic workplaces and proper maintenance

• ISO 45001 & 9001 - Embed continuous improvement and risk management in occupational safety and quality systems.

By treating IPC as part of your Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) system, you can demonstrate both duty of care and inspection readiness.

How to make the most of IIPW 2025

Use International Infection Prevention Week as a catalyst for reflection, engagement, and improvement.

Here are a few practical ideas:

• Launch a “Clean Hands, Safe Teams” campaign in your workplace

• Run a refresher week of infection-control training through your learning platform

• Showcase your IPC heroes, from cleaners to compliance officers, who uphold hygiene excellence daily

• Conduct a hygiene audit to benchmark your current performance

• Share insights on LinkedIn or your internal newsletter to raise awareness and celebrate good practice.

Simple, consistent actions - when embedded across your workforce, create long-term resilience.

Key takeaways

• International Infection Prevention & Control Week 2025 runs from 19–25 October with the theme “Stand UPPP for Infection Prevention: Unite. Protect. Prevent. Prevail.”

• Infection prevention is everyone’s responsibility, not just healthcare professionals

• For regulated organisations, IPC underpins compliance, inspection readiness, and risk management

• Use IIPW 2025 to refresh your training, policies, and culture, and to reaffirm your commitment to safety and quality.

Strengthen your IPC compliance with ComplyPlus™

As you mark International Infection Prevention & Control Week 2025, take the opportunity to review your organisation’s readiness.

At The Mandatory Training Group, we empower organisations to strengthen compliance and resilience through ComplyPlus™, our integrated learning and compliance management system designed for highly regulated sectors.

With ComplyPlus™, you can:

• Deliver CPD-certified infection prevention and control training to all staff;

• Track real-time compliance data and audit logs;

• Manage policies, procedures, and evidence for inspection readiness; and

• Build a culture of continuous improvement and safety.

ComplyPlus™ can help you embed infection prevention within your governance framework and stay ahead of compliance expectations.

Let’s unite, protect, prevent, and prevail together.