The Ministry of Health established the National Infection Prevention and Control Leadership Group to support infection prevention and control (IPC) best practice in the health sector and provide leadership and governance to enable the development of a national IPC strategy.
Members of National IPC Leadership Group represent the following partners, agencies, sectors and organisations.
- Accident Compensation Corporation – Infection Advisory Group
- Aged Care sector
- COVID-19 Infection, Prevention and Control – Sub-Technical Advisory Group
- Health Quality and Safety Commission – Strategic Infection Prevention & Control Advisory Group
- Infection Prevention and Control Nurses College
- Ministry of Health – infection prevention & control team
- Ministry of Health – Māori and Pacific people teams
- New Zealand Antimicrobial Stewardship/Infection Pharmacist Expert Group
- NZ Branch of the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases – clinical microbiology and infectious diseases specialists
- Primary health care
- Public health medicine
National Infection Prevention and Control Strategy
A draft National IPC Strategy and draft IPC Action Plan have been distributed for consultation across the health sector until 17 June 2022.
The purpose of the strategy is to enable those in leadership, planning, and co-ordination roles, to make and influence decisions, that will support the reformed health system to reduce healthcare-associated infections (HIAs) and the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Aotearoa New Zealand.
A key purpose of the strategy is to enable a reduction in incidence of HAIs through effective IPC measures for Māori and other groups who are overrepresented with poorer health outcomes as an achievable goal for improvement. Through the five key priority areas, specific focus on equity for Māori will aim to reduce the impact that HAIs and AMR have on Māori consumers, whānau and staff.