Infection prevention
Yorkshire teaching Trust achieves SSI reductions
Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust has pioneered nasal photodisinfection to tackle surgical site infections. In this article, Jason Hickok looks at how the technology is being used to eliminate pathogens without contributing to antimicrobial resistance.
Surgical Site Infections (SSIs) remain one of the most common forms of healthcare-acquired infection (HCAI), affecting roughly one in every 20 surgical patients in the NHS. Their impact is profound: physical and emotional harm for patients, potentially weeks of additional hospital care, prolonged antibiotic use, and a significant financial burden — up to £100,000 per case, contributing to more than £2 billion in annual costs for NHS England. In April 2024, following a feasibility phase at the Orthopaedic Centre of Excellence at Pontefract Hospital, the Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust (MYT) implemented Steriwave, a nasal photodisinfection technology designed to rapidly eliminate harmful microbes in the nasal passages of patients prior to surgery. Working in partnership with Health Innovation Yorkshire and Humber and the York Health Economics Consortium (YHEC), the Trust deployed Steriwave in conjunction with the standard of care for elective hip and knee patients at Pontefract and Pinderfields hospitals. The goal was to reduce SSIs, test the technology in real-world conditions, evaluate its health-economic impact, and understand both patient and staff experience. Across elective hip surgeries, SSI rates
decreased significantly – by over 71% overall – and reduced to zero in knee replacement patients. Simultaneously, economic modelling from YHEC indicates that Steriwave could provide substantial financial savings across various surgical specialties and may be among the most promising emerging tools in the fight against healthcare-associated infection and antimicrobial resistance. Healthcare-associated infections have long been a major concern for both clinical and financial reasons in healthcare systems worldwide. However, in recent years, they have gained new urgency. The rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has greatly limited clinicians’ ability to prevent and treat infections with traditional antibiotics. Over 70% of HCAIs in Europe are now caused by antimicrobial-
resistant pathogens. With SSIs constituting a significant portion of these cases, the search for alternatives to antibiotics has become increasingly crucial. Photodisinfection is one of the most viable
alternatives, particularly in nasal decolonisation. Unlike conventional decolonisation methods, which typically rely on antimicrobial ointments or washes, Steriwave uses a light-based therapy to rapidly destroy bacteria, fungi, and viruses in the nasal passages – where many pathogens, including MRSA, commonly reside. The process is simple to incorporate into the healthcare pathway and quick: a photosensitive blue dye is applied to the nostrils, followed by non-thermal, red-light illumination. The light activates the dye, producing a burst of oxidative stress that destroys microbial cell walls within seconds. Crucially, because the mechanism is physical rather than pharmacological, microbes cannot easily develop resistance to it— a major advantage in an era of escalating AMR. Dr. Stuart Bond, Consultant Antimicrobial
Pharmacist and Director of Innovation at MYT, commented, “We have been working for years to strengthen infection prevention across our surgical pathways, Steriwave offered an
opportunity to test a technology that eliminates pathogens without contributing to resistance. Given the growing pressures around AMR, we felt this was the right time to take a proactive step.” MYT’s ambition to test the technology began formally in July 2023, when the Trust launched a pilot designed to generate “real-world” NHS data to help inform future decision-making. The pilot had several key goals: l Reduce surgical site infections in elective hip and knee operations
l Gather observational data comparing SSI rates between patients receiving Steriwave and those receiving standard care
l Evaluate economic outcomes using micro- costing and literature-based methods with YHEC
l Assess patient and staff acceptability of the technology
l Understand delivery workflows, training needs, and operational feasibility
Given that MYT already had comparatively low SSI rates, the team understood that achieving statistically significant reductions might prove difficult. Even so, they expected that observational insights — alongside economic
January 2026 I
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