Action to prevent a future health crisis caused by antimicrobial resistance has seen the number of antibiotics prescribed in primary care fall substantially last year.
The progress follows the introduction of financial incentives in April 2015 by NHS England working with Public Health England (PHE). Between April and December 2015, two million fewer prescriptions were dispensed compared to the same period in 2014 – a 7.9 per cent reduction.
Safely reducing the amount of antibiotics prescribed to patients is an important part of work to tackle antimicrobial resistance.
Inappropriate and overuse of antibiotics are known drivers of resistance; reducing the amount of antibiotics consumed slows bacteria developing resistance to these vital drugs, and therefore helps prevent antibiotic resistant infections.
The data on prescribing shows that overall in 2015, antibiotic prescribing reduced by 5.3 per cent compared to 2014 – a total of 2,166,489 fewer items. Within this total there were 480,450 fewer ‘broad spectrum’ antibiotics, reducing the use of which not only helps tackle resistance, but also reduces the likelihood of healthcare-acquired infections like C. difficile, improving patient safety.
Duncan Selbie, Chief Executive of Public Health England, said, ‘Antimicrobial resistance is a major threat to health in the UK and globally and taking action to combat it is vital.
‘I am delighted to see the success of the NHS achieving such a significant reduction.’
