Future of SSI Prevention Conference 2026

08:30 – 09:30 

Registration & Exhibition Viewing 

09:30 – 09:35 

Welcome and Opening Address 

• Chair: Melissa Rochon 

09:35 – 10:05 

Session 1: Current Trends for SSI Rates and Microbiology  

• Dr Giovanni Satta  

10:05 – 10:35 

Session 2: Did We Get it Right First Time? Has Interpretation of Evidence and National Guidance on SSI Led to Unintended Consequences for Elective Surgery Patients?

• Tom Lewis and Emma McCone 

10:35 – 10:55 

Sponsored Session:  

• Dr Ross Lathan 

10:55-11:25   

Session 3: Personalised versus Universal Approaches to SSI Prevention and Detection of Severity 

• Professor Thomas Pinkney

11:25-11:50 

Refreshments & Exhibition Viewing 

11:50-12:10 

Sponsored Session

• Mr Aziz Momin 

12:10-12:40 

Session 4: New Models for Surveillance – Is There a Role for Automation or AI?

• Dr David Eyre

12:40-13:10 

Session 3: Can I Just Have One?: Reducing Caesarean Section Related Surgical Site Infections 

• Miss Tamara Kubba 

13:10-14:20 

Lunch 

Chair: Dr Nneoma Okeke 

14:20-14:40 

Sponsored session   

• Mr Michael Magro 

14:40-15:10 

Session 6: SSI – A Patient’s Story

• Mr Nigel Westwood

15:10-15:40 

Session 7: Management of the Patient with Surgical Wound Complications: Approaches in Holistic Nursing Practice  

• Ria Betteridge

15:40 –16:00 

Sponsored Session 

• Ethicon

16:00-16:30 

Session 8: Digital SSI Surveillance: Closing the Implementation Gap

• Professor Judith Tanner 

16:30-17:00 

Session 9: KEYNOTE: Top 5 Trends in SSI Prevention 

• Dr Jon Otter 

17:00-17:05 

Closing Remarks 

Dr Nneoma Okeke

Dr. Nneoma Okeke is an accomplished epidemiologist with a clinical background and experience in data-driven strategies spanning over a decade, to enhance patient outcomes and minimise healthcare risks.

A leader in infection control analytics, Dr. Okeke spearheaded the development of the Surveillance and Innovation Unit (SIU) at GSTT, which grants trust-wide access to infectious disease data and delivers actionable insights to shape infection prevention and control (IPC) policies. Her work has set new standards in proactive infection prevention and supports individualised patient approaches in reducing infection risk, with goals to extend this into safer prescribing practices to combat antimicrobial resistance.

Dr. Okeke is passionate about using health data to foster a proactive approach to preventing infections and adverse patient outcomes, believing that informed, data-driven policies are critical in safeguarding public health.

Melissa Rochon

Melissa is the Trust Lead for SSI Surveillance, Research and Innovation at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. She is on a number of national and international committees for surgical wound healing, surgical site infection (SSI) prevention, and the use of digital wound images in wound care.

Her current research involves artificial intelligence, diagnostics and patient self-management prevention strategies.

Professor Thomas Pinkney

Tom is the Director of Clinical Research at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and of the Birmingham Surgical Trials Consortium (BiSTC) and the Birmingham Centre for Observational and Prospective Studies (BiCOPS). He also Chairs the ESCP and ACPGBI research committees and is an NIHR Senior Investigator.

Tom’s research interests are predominantly in clinical and translational research in inflammatory bowel disease and surgical site infection. As a founding member of the West Midlands Research Collaborative, he maintains an interest in development of trainee-led clinical trials in surgery.

He has extensive clinical research experience and is currently Chief Investigator of five NIHR-funded trials, including the £10.26M ROSSINI-Platform trial which is exploring the reduction of SSIs across six surgical specialities.

Dr Jon Otter

Jon is a Clinical Scientist specialising in HCAI, AMR, and IPC. He is the Director of Infection Prevention and Control at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and an Honorary Senior Lecturer in HCAI and AMR Imperial College London.

Previously, he led Infection Prevention, Control and Antimicrobial Stewardship at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, was a Research Fellow at King’s College London and Guy’s and St Thomas’, and served as Scientific Director at Bioquell.

He holds a first class degree in Microbiology and a PhD in MRSA epidemiology.

Professor Judith Tanner

Judith is the Professor of Adult Nursing at the University of Nottingham specialising in surgical site infection (SSI). Her most recent funded work focuses on AI-based digital surgical wound monitoring. Other topics include the effectiveness of interventions to prevent SSI, SSI surveillance, SSI care bundles, patient experiences of SSI and implementation. Her work informs many national and professional SSI guidelines.

Nigel Westwood

Nigel joined the Royal Navy as an officer in 1975, serving at sea in command and specialist warfare roles and ashore in senior operational and NATO policy appointments. In 1997 he was diagnosed with refractory inflammatory bowel disease and underwent major surgery, complicated by surgical site infection, leading to medical discharge in the rank of Commander.

Since leaving the Navy he has worked in IT and has been an active volunteer and trustee within patient support charities. He recently completed ten years as a lay member of NICE Technology Appraisal Committee B, and contributes to Royal Pharmaceutical Society committees on medicines optimisation and patient safety.

David Eyre

David Eyre is a Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of Oxford and a Consultant in Infection at Oxford University Hospitals. His research uses routinely collected data to understand who gets different infections and why, and how best to prevent, treat and monitor these infections.

He also focuses on developing artificial intelligence tools to help diagnose and treat hospital patients, and to help operational delivery of healthcare. His other research interests include the use of whole-genome sequencing as a tool for understanding the epidemiology and transmission of pathogens and how it can best be used in infection prevention and control.

Ria Betteridge

Ria (RGN, BSc, MSc, ACP, MRes) is an Independent Academic Consultant for Tissue Viability.

She has worked in the speciality of Tissue Viability for over 25 years and has extensive experience in acute, community and commercial sectors.

Ria has a BSc in Tissue Viability an MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice and Professional Education and is a registered Independent Prescriber and Clinical Teacher and Masters in Research. She has co-published several studies in peer reviewed journals and provided leadership and support for the development of local and national guidelines and policies and regularly presents at regional, national and international conferences.

She is passionate about improving outcomes for patients, through clinical education, research and excellence in nursing.

Giovanni Satta

Giovanni began his medical training in Italy before moving to the UK to study at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He trained in infectious diseases and microbiology, mainly at the Royal Free Hospital, and completed a PhD at UCL on whole genome sequencing for tuberculosis drug development. He also holds an MBA in Healthcare, the DTM&H, an MPH, and CIC certification, and is a fellow of the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management.

He has been an NHS consultant for over 10 years at Imperial and UCLH, worked with WHO in Geneva, and remain active in research as an Honorary Associate Professor and former MRC Fellow.

Dr Ross Lathan

Ross is an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow in Vascular Surgery. His research interests include surgical site infection, diagnostic strategies, prevention measures and sustainable and environmental impact analysis.

Tom Lewis

Tom was appointed as Consultant Microbiologist in North Devon in 2010. As Lead Clinician for Antibiotic Stewardship, he has been involved in a number of interventions to improve prescribing habits, focussing particular on the behavioural science behind this. Since 2016, he has run a joint clinic with a consultant urologist for patients with recurrent urinary tract infection. This was one of the first of its kind in the UK and he has presented on this at national meetings.

He was appointed as one of the national leads for the pathology GIRFT (“Get It Right First Time”) programme in April 2018. This has involved designing metrics that highlight clinically important variation in pathology performance across England. These metrics are then followed up with site visits, and the subsequent discussions have proved pivotal in informing views of “end to end” quality, as it would be perceived by the patient. The national report was published in 2021.

Emma McCone

Emma McCone is currently seconded as the national GIRFT lead for pre-operative assessment and has worked in preoperative assessment for over 20 years with her most recent clinical role as the nurse lead for preoperative assessment at Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

She is chair of the non medical national POA network and has authored and contributed to national guidance within the theatre and perioperative workstreams.

Michael Magro

Michael is currently a Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist and the Labour Ward /Maternity HDU Lead at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust. He is the Vice Chair of Baby Lifeline Multi-professional Advisory Panel and is a clinical reviewer, and governance lead, for both National independent maternity (Ockenden) reviews.

He has presented internationally on his work using Leukomed Sorbact bacteria binding wound dressings for women undergoing caesareans and reduced SSI rates by 38%, readmission rates by 31% and antibiotic use by 30%.

Aziz Momin

Mr Aziz Momin is a highly distinguished Consultant Cardiac Surgeon based in London, known for his expertise in complex heart procedures and his commitment to medical education. He currently serves at St. George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and maintains a private practice at prestigious institutions like the Cromwell Hospital in London.

Mr Momin specialises in a wide array of cardiac interventions, including coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), heart valve repair and replacement, and the treatment of thoracic aortic aneurysms. Beyond the operating room, he is a dedicated academic, serving as an Associate Professor and widely publishing research aimed at improving surgical outcomes and patient safety. His reputation is built on a foundation of precision, a patient-centered approach, and a focus on utilising the latest surgical innovations to treat advanced cardiovascular disease.

Mr Momin is the author of over 50 peer-reviewed articles, international presentations and published abstracts. He is also a frequent speaker at national and international forums. He is on the regular review board of The Journal of Cardiovascular Surgery and Perfusion. He has been awarded numerous prizes including American Heart Association 2004 Novartis Prize, European Society of Cardiology Bench to Bedside Prize 2005 and the HCA Travel fellowship 2012.

Tube (London Underground)
Victoria Station is your nearest stop (approximately 5-minute walk).
Lines serving Victoria:
• Victoria Line (light blue)
• District Line (green)
• Circle Line (yellow)
Scroll down for detailed walking directions from Victoria Station including how to find the right exit.

Train (National Rail)
Victoria Station is also the nearest mainline rail station.
Services include:
• Gatwick Express (30 minutes from Gatwick Airport)
• Southern Railway services
• Southeastern services
• Trains from Brighton, Eastbourne, and other South/Southeast destinations

Walking From Victoria Station (Tube Or Train)

1. Exit Victoria Station via the Victoria Street exit. The correct exit is a large ornate stone archway located in between the TFL Visitor Centre (pink facade) and the Burger King. Victoria station is large with lots of exits so it may be handy to identify the right one in advance!
2. Turn immediately right and walk straight towards Wilton Road
3. Cross Wilton Road then turn right to walk along it. You’ll pass the Apollo Theatre and a Wetherspoons.
4. Turn left along Neathouse Place, which takes you through a very short underpass underneath a glass building.
5. Turn right onto Vauxhall Bridge Road. The hotel is on the right hand side of the street, a few hundred metres down.

Driving & Parking
From Major Routes:
• From M25/M23 (South): Follow signs to Central London, then A23 towards Victoria
• From M4 (West): Take A4 into central London, follow signs to Victoria
• From M1 (North): Follow A41 towards central London, then signs to Victoria

The Park Plaza London Victoria Hotel does not have on-site parking.

Nearby Parking Options:
• Apex Parking – Victoria Car Park, Semley Place, SW1W 9QL, ~7-minute walk from the hotel. Rates are £5 per hour (up to 6 hours), or £40 for a full day.
Important Notes:
• Central London has a Congestion Charge zone (Monday-Friday, 7am-6pm) – check if your route includes this
• ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone) operates 24/7 – if your vehicle doesn’t meet the ULEZ emissions standards and isn’t exempt, you need to pay a £12.50 daily charge to drive within the zone.

Some NHS staff roles are eligible for Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Funding for career-relevant learning. Many eligible staff members use this funding towards attending conferences.

Ask your Line Manager for details on how to apply for this funding.

To apply, you may be asked for information on how this conference will help you develop professionally, such as skills/knowledge gained, how this will benefit your career, and how it can contribute to your team/department and Trust.

For example, you could mention:

-Exposure to innovations in the area

-Networking opportunities with experts and peers

-Gaining knowledge of infection prevention practices