Guidelines on Core Components of Infection Prevention and Control Programmes at the National and Acute Health Care Facility Level

These new guidelines form a key part of WHO strategies to prevent current and future threats, strengthen health service resilience and help combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). They are intended to support improvement of infection prevention and control (IPC) at the national and facility level, both in public services and private sector. At the national level, this document provides guidance primarily to policy-makers responsible for the establishment and monitoring of national IPC programmes and the delivery of AMR national action plans within ministries of health. At the facility level, the main target audience is facility-level administrators (for example, chief executive officers) and those in charge of planning, developing and implementing local IPC programmes. This document supersedes the Core components for infection prevention and control programmes published issued in 2009.