The Centre for Healthcare-Associated Infections, Antimicrobial Resistance and Mycoses (CHARM) was established in April 2017. CHARM hosts two national reference laboratories and is supported by an epidemiology section. The centre was designated as a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for AMR (WHO SOA-43) in June 2017.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are among the commonest complications of hospital admission, are costly for the patient and the overall healthcare system, and may lead to patient deaths. This is an important new focus area for the centre. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is estimated to be associated with over 700 000 deaths every year, a number which could rise as high as 10 million in 2050.