The second workshop on Infection prevention and Control (IPC) in human health was successfully held in Rome, Italy, on March 3–4.

The Rome Workshop on Implementation of IPC in Human Health Sector brought together partners from across EU-JAMRAI 2 to advance the implementation of infection prevention and control (IPC) through a coordinated approach integrating core components, core competencies, digital tools, and pilot projects.

The workshop provided a structured meeting point to align progress across the task of IPC in Human actions, and to translate frameworks and technical developments into practical implementation strategies at national and facility level. The report published on the EU-JAMRAI 2 official website in December 2025, “Recommendation for changes to the ECDC’s technical document from 2013 on IPC core competencies”, was presented, together with the generic Self-Assessment System (SAS) for assessing the individual IPC professionals level of core competencies and guiding a development plan/carrier pathway and support retainment of the workforce. A tool developed by SSI, Denmark, and the related working group to be used at facility level.

Discussions lead by ICO (Spain), highlighted the persistent variability in IPC capacity and implementation across countries, particularly in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) and resource-constrained settings. Key challenges included gaps in governance, workforce competencies, data availability, and integration of IPC into routine healthcare systems. Participants discussed how EU-JAMRAI 2 could support LTCFs through targeted tools, training initiatives, and practical guidance. The importance of standardised assessment tools, such as the INSIGHT platform based on IPCAF, was emphasised as a means to support benchmarking, identify gaps, and guide targeted improvements.

Participants also underlined the need to strengthen capacity-building and competency-based training, alongside improved surveillance and the use of meaningful indicators to monitor progress and link IPC performance to outcomes such as antimicrobial resistance. The role of pilot projects emerged as central to testing and scaling up context-adapted solutions, with a strong focus on implementation feasibility, monitoring, and transferability across different health systems.

Overall, the workshop underscored that effective IPC strengthening requires a system-wide and integrated approach, combining governance, competencies, and implementation tools. The strong emphasis on peer-to-peer exchange and cross-country learning reinforced the value of collaboration in identifying practical solutions, addressing common challenges, and supporting the scale-up of successful practices across European health systems.