Press release: SHH-UK calls for urgent action on air quality and infection prevention and control in healthcare settings

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SHH-UK CALLS FOR URGENT ACTION ON AIR QUALITY AND INFECTION CONTROL IN HEALTHCARE SETTINGS

Supporting Healthcare Heroes UK urges Governments across the UK and healthcare leaders to act on critical failings in indoor air safety and outdated infection control guidance putting lives at risk.

Haddenham, Bucks, 20^th May 2025 – Supporting Healthcare Heroes UK (SHH-UK) has issued two comprehensive position statements demanding immediate reform of UK healthcare policy on indoor air quality (IAQ) and infection prevention and control (IPC) guidance. These recommendations aim to protect patients, visitors and staff from airborne transmission of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections.

Air Quality in Hospitals: An Overlooked Threat 

SHH-UK highlights the urgent need for enforceable air quality standards in healthcare environments. Scientific evidence confirms that many respiratory viruses, including COVID-19, are airborne. Without routine air quality monitoring and adequate ventilation, hospital wards become high-risk zones for infection.

“Improving air quality not only reduces the spread of infection but also reduces staff sickness and hospital stays due to preventable complications,” said Dr Alison Twycross, Chair of SHH-UK.

The statement calls for:

• National IAQ standards for healthcare facilities.
• Real-time monitoring of CO₂ to identify poorly ventilated areas.
• Use of mechanical ventilation, HEPA filtration, and air purification systems.
• Respiratory PPE (e.g., FFP3) for healthcare workers and FFP2 masks for visitors.
• Routine testing and mandatory vaccination of healthcare workers.

Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines Still Ignore Airborne Reality 

SHH-UK also exposes fundamental flaws in the UK’s current IPC guidelines, which still rely on outdated and scientifically unsupported distinctions between “droplet” and “airborne” transmission. This has resulted in the denial of effective protection such as respirators for frontline staff, increasing their risk of repeated infection and Long Covid.

“It’s unacceptable that in 2025, healthcare workers are still being denied basic respiratory protection due to obsolete guidelines that ignore physics and current science,” SHH-UK states.

Key recommendations from SHH-UK’s IPC position statement include:

• Recognition that COVID-19 and other respiratory infections are primarily airborne.
• Elimination of the outdated “aerosol-generating procedure” (AGP) focus.
• Mandatory respiratory PPE in poorly ventilated or high-risk areas.
• CO₂ monitoring and ventilation audits in IPC protocols.
• Inclusion of aerosol scientists and ventilation engineers in IPC decision-making.

Long Covid Risk Reinforces the Call for Change

Citing studies showing the long-term health impacts of reinfection – including increased risk of death, hospitalisation, and multi-organ complications – SHH-UK emphasizes that failure to act is not just a policy issue but a human rights and economic concern.

About SHH-UK

Supporting Healthcare Heroes UK (SHH-UK) is the only UK-wide Charity standing shoulder to shoulder with all healthcare workers, supporting them in the prevention of Covid and those living with Long Covid. Founded in 2023, we are influential in informing national policy and direction while supporting healthcare workers living with Long Covid.

Media Contact:

Dr Alison Twycross, RN

Email: info@shh-uk.org

Website: https://shh-uk.org