Infection

• Infection can affect any area of the body from the lungs (pneumonia) to the brain, nervous system (meningitis or encephalitis), bones (osteomyelitis) and bladder, urethra or kidneys (urinary tract infection or UTI).
• Infection can spread through the blood to other parts of the body, causing inflammation and have damaging consequences.
• We estimate that in Liverpool, there have been just over 85,000 admissions to our hospitals as a result of serious infection since 2013.
• In the UK, pneumonia affects 0.5-1% of adults each year and is usually caused by a bacterial infection.  It is more common and can be more serious in certain groups of people.
• Older people are at increased risk of developing pneumonia.
• Anyone with an infection may develop sepsis.  Some people are more likely to have an infection leading to sepsis, including people over the age of 75.  Sepsis is treated with antibiotics.
• As antibiotic resistance poses a significant threat to the delivery of healthcare, it is essential to ensure that principles of good antimicrobial stewardship and appropriate use of antibiotics are built into all activities, communication, training and actions relating to the treatment of sepsis.
• Infection prevention and control (IPC) is a practical evidence-based approach to prevent harm to patients and health care workers, which includes practising hand hygiene, maintaining a clean environment, monitoring infection and acting to reduce its frequency, in addition to using antibiotics only when they are truly needed, to reduce the risk of resistance.
• Antimicrobials are fundamental components of our health system and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) strikes the poor hardest.
• The burden of AMR is wider than the health of the individual, their family and the wellbeing of their local community: treatment of resistant infections is expensive. The cost of AMR is predicted to be £78.7 trillion globally by 2050, driving an additional 28 million people into poverty.

• The scale of the problem, which is recognised by the UK Government in its plans to address AMR and the NHS Long Term Plan, combined with our academic strength in Liverpool, makes infection a priority for Liverpool Health Partners.
• Prevention, detection and appropriate treatment of infection can help patients lead healthier lives for longer.
• The potential benefits to society of discoveries and advancement in anti-infective research is huge in terms of health and wealth.
• One of our objectives is to support a successful NIHR Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) application in 2021. Liverpool’s 2021 submission will reflect the universal, multidisciplinary perspective of the Universities and NHS in Liverpool, focussing on its academic strength and demonstrated track record of excellence and achievement, to address the health of the local, regional and national populations, using team-based problem solving.
• Our Infection Team will work in close partnership with our Ageing Well colleagues to ensure we collaborate, discover and improve across the region with our partners

One of our key objectives under this theme is to support a successful NIHR Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) application in 2021. Liverpool’s 2021 submission will reflect the universal, multidisciplinary perspective of the Universities and NHS in Liverpool, focussing on its academic strength and demonstrated track record of excellence and achievement, to address the health of the local, regional and national populations, using team-based problem solving.

For more information about this research programme, please contact Elizabeth Collins by email at elizabeth.collins@liverpool.ac.uk