Infectious Diseases Department

The Infectious Diseases unit is the part of the network that diagnoses and treats infections of every kind, advises on how infection risk is managed across the hospital, and supports other specialties whenever an infection complicates their care. It brings together infectious-disease physicians, specialist microbiology and laboratory services, and the pharmacy expertise needed to use antibiotics and antiviral drugs wisely, so that infection is identified precisely and treated correctly. For an international patient, the unit is the place to turn for a persistent or unexplained infection, a fever of unknown cause, a complex or resistant infection that has not responded to treatment, or advice on infection-related questions before surgery or travel — and the team that reviews such cases remotely before any visit.

What the infectious diseases unit does

Infectious diseases is the medical specialty concerned with infections caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. It is a field of careful detective work and precise treatment: the same symptoms can be caused by very different organisms, and using the right drug at the right dose for the right length of time is what cures infection while avoiding harm and resistance. The unit’s role runs from diagnosing difficult infections, through guiding treatment for the most complex or resistant cases, to the quieter but vital work of protecting every patient in the hospital from infection.

Much of the unit’s value lies at the boundary with other specialties. Infection can complicate surgery, cancer treatment, transplantation and intensive care, and the infectious-disease team is the partner that other units call upon to investigate a fever, choose an antibiotic, or manage an infection in a patient whose immune system is weakened. This consulting role, together with the unit’s leadership of infection prevention and the careful stewardship of antibiotics, is central to safe care across the whole network.

What the unit treats and advises on

The unit’s work includes:

• Complex and severe infections — of the blood, bones, heart valves, brain, lungs, abdomen and soft tissues — that need specialist diagnosis and treatment.
• Fever of unknown origin, where the cause is not obvious and a systematic investigation is needed.
• Resistant infections, including those caused by bacteria that no longer respond to common antibiotics, managed with specialist expertise.
• Infections in vulnerable patients — those undergoing cancer treatment, transplantation or surgery, or with weakened immunity — in partnership with the relevant units.
• Chronic viral infections such as hepatitis B and C and HIV, with long-term management and treatment.
• Travel- and region-related infections, and advice for patients travelling to or from different parts of the world.
• Pre-surgical and pre-treatment infection assessment, ensuring infection is controlled before major procedures.
• Infection prevention and antibiotic stewardship across the hospital — guidance that protects every patient.

For each, the aim is an accurate identification of the organism and a treatment matched precisely to it.

Diagnosis and tests

Diagnosis in infectious diseases depends above all on the laboratory. The unit works hand in hand with microbiology, which cultures samples of blood, urine, fluid or tissue to grow and identify the organism responsible and to test which drugs will work against it. Increasingly, molecular tests identify viruses, bacteria and their resistance genes rapidly, allowing treatment to be focused sooner. Serology — blood tests for antibodies — helps diagnose many viral and other infections.

Imaging locates the source of an infection: CT, MRI, ultrasound and, in some cases, nuclear-medicine scans can find a hidden abscess or an infected site. Often the key step is obtaining the right sample from the right place — sometimes with image guidance from radiology — so that the laboratory can identify the precise cause. The unit’s close partnership with microbiology, pathology and imaging is what turns a confusing clinical picture into a clear diagnosis.

Treatments

Treatment is built around using anti-infective drugs precisely:

• Targeted antibiotic, antiviral, antifungal and antiparasitic therapy, chosen on the basis of the organism identified and the tests that show what it is sensitive to.
• Management of resistant and complex infections, where specialist knowledge of drug combinations, dosing and duration is essential.
• Long-term treatment of chronic viral infections such as hepatitis and HIV, with the modern therapies that now control them effectively.
• Outpatient and inpatient intravenous therapy for infections that need prolonged treatment, coordinated so it can be delivered safely.
• Infection management for other units — advising surgery, oncology, transplantation and intensive care on the safest, most effective course for an infected patient.

Because over-use of antibiotics drives resistance and harms patients, the unit practises careful stewardship: the right drug for the right reason, no longer than necessary. This measured approach is itself a mark of quality.

The multidisciplinary team

The infectious diseases unit is one of the most collaborative in medicine. It supports surgery (preventing and treating surgical infection), oncology and haematology (managing infection in patients with weakened immunity), transplantation (a field where infection control is critical), intensive care, and many others. Within the unit, the partnership with microbiology and the pharmacy team is fundamental. Specialist nurses deliver and monitor prolonged treatments, and coordinators support international patients. For complex cases, these specialists confer so that infection is managed as part of the whole picture.

Technology and facilities

The unit is built around an accredited microbiology laboratory with culture and molecular diagnostics, supported by imaging and pathology and by isolation facilities for infections that require them. As throughout the network, these services are run by experienced teams and maintained to strict standards, which is what makes rapid, accurate diagnosis and safe treatment possible.

What to expect as an international patient

For a patient travelling from abroad, the unit is structured to handle situations that are often urgent and unclear. Your case is first reviewed remotely from your existing results — cultures, blood tests, imaging and treatment history — so the team can advise how urgent matters are, whether travel is necessary, and what to arrange. On arrival, you can expect a thorough assessment, a clear explanation of the diagnosis and of the realistic options, and a written plan agreed with you. An international patient coordinator remains your single point of contact throughout, helping with scheduling, language and the practical side of your visit, and ensuring that any other units involved are engaged from the start.

Remote review before you travel

You do not need to travel to begin. Infections are often well captured in laboratory and imaging reports, so by sharing your results you can have an infectious-disease physician review your case, advise whether further tests are needed, and outline the likely plan, timeline and cost before you decide. A remote second opinion is available if you would like an expert view on a diagnosis or on whether a proposed treatment — particularly for a complex or resistant infection — is the right course.

Quality and standards

Infection control is one of the foundations of hospital safety, and this unit helps lead it. It works to defined clinical protocols, draws on accredited microbiology and laboratory services, and contributes to the hospital’s infection-prevention and medication-safety systems. Accreditation such as JCI applies at hospital level and reflects how well these systems work across its units — and infection prevention is one of the areas such accreditation scrutinises most closely. When considering care, it is reasonable to ask about a unit’s experience with your specific type of infection.

Long-course and intravenous treatment

Some infections — of the bones, heart valves or deep tissues, for example — need antibiotics given into a vein over several weeks rather than a few days, and managing this safely is a particular strength of the unit. Where a prolonged course is required, the team plans it carefully: choosing the right drug and dose based on the laboratory’s sensitivity testing, arranging safe intravenous access, and monitoring both the response to treatment and the patient’s kidney function, blood counts and drug levels along the way. For suitable patients, parts of this treatment can be given on an outpatient basis rather than keeping someone in hospital throughout, which is often more comfortable and practical. For international patients, the unit pays particular attention to continuity: it sets out a clear plan for how a long course can be continued and monitored after returning home, what tests the local doctor should arrange, and when treatment can safely stop. Throughout, the principle of careful antibiotic stewardship applies — treating for long enough to cure the infection, but no longer than necessary, and reviewing progress so the plan can be shortened or adjusted as the patient improves. This measured, well-monitored approach is what makes the treatment of serious infection both effective and safe.

This page is for general information and does not constitute medical advice, a diagnosis or a treatment recommendation. The units and services available vary between hospitals in the network; please confirm details for the unit proposed for your care, and always consult a qualified clinician about your situation.