UK Organizations Team Up to Fight Hospital Infections

According to a recent article by Laboratory News, three organizations in the Liverpool, England, area—Liverpool University Hospitals National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust (LUHFT), the Infection Innovation Consortium (iiCON) at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), and Merseyside-based vacuum coating solutions specialist Gencoa—have teamed up to fight health care-associated infections (HAIs).

An antimicrobial film coating developed by Gencoa had already been used on public surfaces, such as train station touchscreens, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The coating will now be tried on touchscreens and door handles in the newly opened Royal Liverpool University Hospital, with the hope that the coating can help fight the transmission of HAIs between cleanings.

Dr. Stacy Todd, an infectious diseases consultant and NHS research lead for the project said, “This is a great example of NHS, university, and industry partners working together to develop products which have the real potential for patient benefit. The twin problems of health care-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance mean that we need to think broadly about what interventions can benefit patients, visitors, and staff in making health care safer. By doing this, we can keep offering patients cutting-edge treatments, including those for cancer therapy and surgery.”