Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to develop a national infection strategy.

The Government already has evidence-based policies in place to embed system-wide infection prevention and control measures to mitigate the impact of infection.

For example, the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual (NIPCM) for England provides guidance on infection control for National Health Service healthcare staff of all disciplines in all care settings. The NIPCM, last updated in July 2025, is a live document that is updated in line with new evidence and lessons learned.

More broadly, the UK 5-year action plan for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) 2024 to 2029 contains targets and commitments to address rises in both infection and in antimicrobial prescribing that could arise as a consequence of infection. Further information on the UK 5-year action plan for AMR is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-5-year-action-plan-for-antimicrobial-resistance-2024-to-2029