A MAJOR conference dealing with patient safety in the region has taken place just outside York.

Lakeside Conference Centre (LCC), based at York Biotech Campus (YBC), recently hosted the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) annual conference.

The ‘back to basics’ conference featured 160 delegates from across the region. Its attendees held various roles within the Trust ranging from Registered Nurses, Health Care Support Workers, and Allied Health Professionals to colleagues working within Health and Safety as well as Estates and Facilities.

IPC conferences are a fundamental element to ensuring and maintaining safe patient care in the region. This year’s conference had a specially designed agenda to reset the focus of the Trust colleagues on the foundations of IPC within patient care.

The success of the event was a collaborative effort between LCC and the Trust. Together, both parties organised the different elements of the event, including conference lectures, workshops, an exhibition, and catering.

With delegates able to benefit from its flexible meeting rooms, the LCC hosted individual sessions across the day using the site’s breakout rooms for Trust staff to complete workshops and activity-based training.

Liz Cashon, Innovation Campus Manager at York Biotech Campus, said: “Several of our occupiers onsite, including Abingdon Health and the UK Health Security Agency, work in the field of science related to preventing the spread of diseases. So, when the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust came to LCC looking for somewhere to host its IPC conference, we knew we were the ideal venue to foster a productive environment.

“We’re proud that our campus not only facilitates scientific discovery, innovation and application in the region through our businesses onsite but can provide outside organisations and bodies with an appropriate space to learn and develop as well.”

Sue Peckitt, Deputy Director for IPC at the Trust, added: “The location was what first attracted us to LCC, as the Trust is spread across York, North and East Yorkshire and Ryedale, an area which covers 3,400 square miles. This meant it was of the utmost importance that our conference was accessible to our colleagues from across all of our localities.

“Overall, we were incredibly pleased with the facilities, and the support of the campus team at LCC which was super helpful from beginning to end. We’ve already recommended LCC to colleagues at the Trust and we’re looking to host events again onsite in the future.”

Visit https://yorkbiotechcampus.com/lakeside/