News

Save the date for OneTogether 2027 which will take place on 10 March 2027 at the National Conference Centre in Birmingham.  

With highlights on wound care and a new exciting interactive audit tool, this is one not to be missed! Add the date to your diary and keep an eye out for the launch.  

Visit the event page for the most up to date information – https://onetogether.org.uk/events/onetogether-expert-conference-2027/ 

Congratulations to the winners of the OneTogether Awards 2025: One Together partners are delighted to announce two strong projects which are contributing to reductions in SSI both nationally and internationally.

• King’s Global Health Partnerships DRC SSI Team
• The West of England PreCiSSIon Collaborative

Both winning teams have been invited to speak at the OneTogether UK Expert Conference 2026, where they will provide additional insights into their award winning initiatives:

King’s Global Health Partnerships DRC SSI Team

King’s Kongo Central Partnerships (KKCP) has worked in partnership with the Kongo Central Province, southwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ministry of Health since 2015 with a focus on health systems strengthening to improve the quality of care, particularly surgical care. During the first phase of the Safe Surgery project, they developed robust data on surgery and emergency care, integrated the use of WHO Safe Surgery Checklist and improved staff skills and knowledge.

The second phase of the work will focus on reducing surgical site infections (SSI). At the end of 2025 they have created a multidisciplinary working group of experts to:

• Summarise the current evidence base on reducing SSI in low resource settings.
• Provide technical advice on programme activities and strategy.
• Develop context appropriate tools for evaluating programme interventions.
• Advice on initiatives to support good antimicrobial stewardship and reduce antimicrobial resistance.

The West of England PreCiSSIon Collaborative

Hospital-acquired infections (HAI) have been identified as a major contributor to patient harm across the West of England (WoE). The Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) has led to all trusts identifying infection prevention as a key safety objective.  Caesarean birth (CB) is increasing, but SSI surveillance is not mandatory, leaving trusts without data to drive improvement.

A regional programme, PreCiSSIon, was established in 2022 funded by Health Innovation West of England (HIWE). The breakthrough collaborative model was used with emphasis on PDSA cycles and continuous measurement. This regional safety initiative transformed SSI prevention in maternity care through digital surveillance, patient feedback, and evaluation interventions. By embedding continuous monitoring and engaging both mothers and clinical teams, they successfully introduced interventions with high compliance and reduced SSI after caesarean birth.

The Infection Prevention Society, Central Sterilising Club, Solventum, Association for Perioperative Practice and The College of Operating Department Practitioners are pleased to jointly bring you

OneTogether UK Expert Conference 2026

An informative one day event taking place on the 12th March 202 at the NCC Birmingham, dedicated to reducing the risk of surgical site infections.

Look forward to informative sessions on the following topics:

• QI and Behaviour change
• Sustainable draping in practice
• WHO perspective on SSI
• Fundamentals of care in theatre
• And much more!

Find out more:  CLICK HERE

Award entries for 2026 will open early June with a closing date of early September

Thank you to those who took time to submit an entry to the OneTogether Awards 2025.

We can confirm that nominations are now closed and all the submitted entries are with the judges and all applicants will be informed of their application outcome in due course.

OneTogether invites healthcare professionals to enter its annual awards programme, which has been designed to recognise, celebrate, and share best practice in reducing the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs).

If you have undertaken steps to reduce the risk of surgical site infections for patients undergoing surgery, we invite you to enter the OneTogether Award today. Whether your actions are big or small, whether you’ve initiated improvements on your own or involved a wider team, we believe all improvements are worthwhile. Winners will benefit from the opportunity to present at conference.

Award entries will open on 3rd March 2025 and close on 25th August 2025 (Midnight).

To enter the OneTogether Awards simply visit

https://onetogether.org.uk/onetogether-awards/

We have recently added some resources the the site to include

• Updated Surgical Pathway Poster (2025)
• Surveillance of Surgical Site Infection (2025)
• Incision Management (2024)

These can be found in full and downloaded from our resources page

OneTogether invites healthcare professionals to enter its annual awards programme, which has been designed to recognise, celebrate, and share best practice in reducing the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs).

If you have undertaken steps to reduce the risk of surgical site infections for patients undergoing surgery, we invite you to enter the OneTogether Award today. Whether your actions are big or small, whether you’ve initiated improvements on your own or involved a wider team, we believe all improvements are worthwhile. Winners will benefit from the opportunity to present at conference.

Award entries will open on 3^rd March 2025 and close on 3^rd June 2025 (Midnight).

To enter the OneTogether Awards simply visit

https://onetogether.org.uk/onetogether-awards/