Teams at Velindre Cancer Service put infection prevention skills to the test during International Infection Prevention Week

20 October 2026

Teams across Velindre Cancer Service are taking part in a unique activity to mark International Infection Prevention Week 2026 and highlight the important role everyone plays in keeping patients, visitors, and colleagues safe.

As part of this year's awareness week, the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Team is hosting an interactive IPC Escape Room on 20-21 October in Velindre Cancer Centre. Designed to be both engaging and thought-provoking, the experience will bring infection prevention learning to life through a unique team-based challenge.

This year's escape room builds on the success of the team's previous staff engagement initiative, Game of Stools, developed as Velindre Cancer Service's contribution to the Welsh C. diff Learning Collaborative led by NHS Wales Performance and Improvement's Safe Care Partnership.

Putting infection prevention knowledge into practice

Velindre Cancer Service's Game of Stools initiative engaged more than 60 staff through interactive games and challenges designed to reinforce key infection prevention messages.

With C. diff rates remaining consistently low within Velindre Cancer Service, the initiative focused on maintaining awareness, confidence, and preparedness through education to ensure staff remain ready to respond appropriately when cases are suspected.

Evaluation demonstrated increased confidence, awareness and understanding of infection prevention and control principles. Participants reported a greater understanding of the SIGHT protocol, increased confidence in recognising infectious diarrhoea and knowing what action to take, and a stronger awareness of their role in preventing infection.

Building on the success of Game of Stools, the IPC Team is continuing to use innovative and engaging approaches to learning during International Infection Prevention Week.

The IPC Escape Room offers a fresh and innovative approach to learning. It encourages staff to work together while reinforcing core infection prevention principles in a fun, interactive and memorable way, while promoting teamwork, patient safety, and a shared commitment to preventing infection.

Throughout the week, the IPC Team will also be hosting a range of awareness and engagement activities in the Patient Information Area. These activities will provide staff, patients, and visitors with opportunities to learn more about infection prevention and the role everyone plays in keeping our healthcare environment safe.

Julianne Golding-Sherman, Senior IPC Nurse  at Velindre University NHS Trust, said: "Infection prevention is everyone's responsibility and plays a vital role in protecting patients, visitors, and colleagues. Activities such as the IPC Escape Room provide a fun and engaging way for staff to strengthen their knowledge, work together and reinforce the simple actions that help prevent infections and support safe, high-quality care."

Reducing the burden of C. diff through collaboration

The C. diff Learning Collaborative enables health board and trust teams across NHS Wales to identify and implement improvements that will reduce the prevalence and burden of C. diff.

Providing improvement behaviour change support for teams and a space for collaboration and shared learning, the collaborative ultimately aims to embed sustainable improvements that can be widely adopted at scale.

Hayley Peters, Director of Nursing and Quality, NHS Wales Performance and Improvement, said: “C. diff infections can have far-reaching and serious consequences for patients, their loved ones and the healthcare system. Each infection can lead to harm that reshapes lives.

“The C. diff Learning Collaborative has brought together experts from across Wales to share, learn, and improve alongside each other. It’s great to see participants including the team at Velindre taking forward initiatives like the Game of Stools and this week’s escape room, to reduce the very real impact of C. diff on people both accessing and delivering services across Wales.” 

About Velindre Cancer Service

Velindre Cancer Service provides specialist cancer care to more than 1.5 million people across south east Wales and beyond. As part of Velindre University NHS Trust, services are delivered through a hub-and-spoke model, with Velindre Cancer Centre serving as a specialist treatment, teaching and research centre for non-surgical oncology.

A wide range of treatments, including chemotherapy, systemic anti-cancer treatments (SACT), radiotherapy and specialist palliative care, are delivered by Velindre Cancer Service. Through learning, innovation, research and service improvement, the service is committed to delivering the highest quality care for patients and families across Wales.