The Fleming Initiative partnered with Cepheid to evaluate real-time PCR-based molecular screening using the Xpert Carba-R assay to identify patients with antibiotic-resistant carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE). The study, called Trace-CPE, will run over two-and-a-half years across Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London. The trial will compare PCR results against conventional culture-based testing and also evaluate how molecular screening affects infection control, hospital transmission dynamics, patient experience, costs, and system-level outcomes. The initiative cited UK Health Security Agency surveillance showing acquired carbapenemase-producing organisms increased from 2,670 in 2021 to 5,759 in 2023. With the NHS turnaround time for culture described as 24–48 hours, Trace-CPE aims to determine whether near real-time molecular results can enable faster isolation and containment to reduce spread.