HISCON 2026

Programme timings and presentation titles are subject to change

Day 1 - Tuesday 23 June
09:00 - 09:45 Registration and refreshments
09:50 - 10:00

Welcome and Introduction

Jincy Jerry, Director of Infection Prevention and Control, NHS Ayrshire and Arran, UK

10:00 - 10:45
Keynote Presentation | Advancing surveillance of HCAIs: Focus of VAP
Prof Michael Klompas, Professor of Medicine and Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School, USA
Session 1: Year in infection Prevention and Control
10:45 - 11:40
Top 10 IPC publications of the year -  A curated review of most influential studies & the impact on frontline IPC practice

Dr Gemma Winzor, Editor-in-Chief, Infection Prevention in Practice, UK

Dr Martyn Wilkinson, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Hospital Infection, UK

11:40 - 12:05 Break, exhibition and poster viewing
Session 2: Clinical trials and research breakthroughs in IPC
12:05 - 12:25
Sponsored symposium

By Nanosonics

12:25 - 12:50
Ongoing and upcoming clinical trials in IPC - Global IPC trends and lessons  from WHO guidelines

Dr Walter Zingg, Senior Physician, Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, Universitätsspital Zürich, Switzerland

12:50 - 13:15
Ethics & IPC: Balancing Autonomy with Control Measures

Prof Evelina Tacconelli, Professor of Infectious Diseases, University of Verona, Italy

13:15 - 14:15 Lunch, exhibition and poster viewing
Session 3: National and regional insights in IPC
14:15 - 15:45
  • Perspectives from England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland
  • Key surveillance insights
  • New national initiatives

Dr Colin Brown, Deputy Director, Clinical and Emerging Infections, UKHSA, UK

Dr Eimear Brannigan, Clinical Lead - AMRIC, Health Service Executive, Ireland

Shona Cairns, Consultant Healthcare Scientist, ARHAI Scotland, UK

Samantha Matthews, HARP Head of Nursing, Public Health Wales, UK

Dr Paul McGurnaghan, Consultant in Public Health, Public Health Agency, UK

15:45 - 16:10 Break, exhibition and poster viewing
Session 4: Advances and findings in Surveillance

16:10 - 16:30

CLABSI surveillance

Dr Niccolo Buetti, Assistant Physician, Infection Prevention and Control Dept, University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland

16:30 - 16:50

Using sequencing data in IPC and AMR surveillance

Dr Esther van Kleef, Senior Research Associate, University of Oxford, UK

16:50 - 17:10

Wastewater surveillance for developing pathogen forecasting systems

Matt Holden, Head of Pathogen Genomics, Public Health Scotland

17:10 - 17:30

Panel Discussion

What do surveillance insights mean for IPC practice in the next year

17:30 - 19:00

Drinks reception & poster presentations

  

Day 2 - Wednesday 24 June
09:00 - 09:30 Registration and refreshments
Session 5: Sustainability
09:30 - 10:15
Keynote Presentation | Climate Change & Emerging Pathogens (implications to IPC  in healthcare)  

Prof Hugh Montgomery, Consultant Intensivist, UCL and Director, Real Zero, UK

10:15 - 10:35
PPE and reusables in IPC

Prof Mahmood Bhutta, Consultant Otologist and Clinical Green Lead, University Hospitals Sussex, UK

10:35 - 10:55
Talk title to be announced

Dr Sarah Walpole, Infectious Diseases and Medicine Specialist Registrar, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, UK

10:55 - 11:20 Break and refreshments
Session 6: Oral abstract presentations
11:20 - 11:40
Sponsored Symposium | Reducing Blood Culture Contamination: The role of blood culture diversion devices.

By IPC Partners in partnership with Kurin

11:40 - 12:10
Oral presentations form selected abstracts
12:10 - 13:10 Lunch
Session 7: AMR and AMS
13:10 - 13:30
Sponsored Symposium | AMR - Diagnostics

By bioMérieux

13:30 - 13:50
Talk title to be announced

Dr Catrin Moore, Professor in Global Health and Infectious Diseases, City St George’s, University of London, UK

13:50 - 14:10
How to develop a strategy for AMR and AMS

Dr Emma McGuire, AMS Strategy Lead, University College Hospitals NHS FT, UK

14:10 - 14:25 Panel Q&A
14:25 - 14:45 Break

14:45 - 15:05

Novel Antimicrobial Stewardship Models

Prof Evelina Tacconelli, Professor of Infectious Diseases, University of Verona, Italy

15:05 - 15:25

AMR in intensive care

Luke Moore, Infectious Diseases Consultant and Clinical Microbiologist, Chelsea & Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, UK

15:25 - 15:45

AMR data in conflict areas

Dr Aula Abbara, Consultant in Infectious Diseases, Imperial College NHS Healthcare Trust, UK

15:45 - 16:00

Panel Q&A
16:00 Event close