Members may be interested in noting the myriad of changes made to the Government’s action plan for tackling AMR between 2019-2024. The Government have stated that these changes are essential to ensure the commitments are:
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- more specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound (SMART)
- reflect lessons learned from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
- reflect progress that has already been made against ambitions to reduce antibiotic prescribing in food-producing animals
- work towards new sector targets
The main focus of the action plan remains the same, with the key aims being:
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- reducing the need for, and unintentional exposure to, antimicrobials
- optimising the use of antimicrobials
- investing in innovation, supply and access
Overall, 93 commitments have been reworded, 17 new commitments have been added, while 8 commitments have been scrapped. The changes encompass lessons learned during the pandemic and seek, among other things, to improve the surveillance of AMR and antimicrobial use and reflect the international role the UK is playing in tackling AMR.
Significant attention has been paid to urinary tract infections (UTIs), in order to support the national action plan ambition to halve healthcare associated Gram-negative bloodstream infections (GNBSIs) by 2024. This, in turn, reflects the fact that UTIs are a common pathway to GNBSI and managing them requires a multi-faceted approach.
Full details of the changes can be viewed here.
