The Government has now published its five year antimicrobial resistance strategy, following a warning by the Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies that antimicrobial resistance poses a ‘catastrophic threat’ if action is not taken.
All the recommendations on antimicrobial resistance made in the Chief Medical Officer’s annual report have been accepted and acted on, including ongoing work to add antimicrobial resistance to the Government’s long-term risk register, the National Security Risk Assessment. The five-year antimicrobial resistance strategy outlines that steps are being taken to:
• Improve how infections are prevented and managed in people and animals; including better hygiene and monitoring of bacteria in medical and community settings, and through better farming practices.
• Improve education and training around the prescribing of antibiotics to reduce inappropriate usage and make sure patients get the right antibiotics, at the right time and for the right duration.
• Collect better data on resistance.
• Provide funding of up to £4million to set up a new National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Health Protection Research Unit which will focus on antimicrobial resistance and healthcareassociated infections. In recognition of the importance of quick action, the NIHR is also running a themed research call to encourage antimicrobial research across a range of areas.
• Explore ways to encourage the development of new antibiotics, rapid diagnostics and other treatments by working with industry and across Government.
Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies said: “Antimicrobial resistance is a global problem and we all need to take responsibility… I am pleased to see that steps are being taken in the UK to help us take the fight to resistant bacteria.”
