A report from the UK National Audit Office has called on the UK to do more to tackle antimicrobial resistance, and identified that the 2019-2024 action plan hit just one of its five targets.
The report calls out failure to hit the target to report on the percentage of antibiotic prescriptions that are supported by an objective diagnostic test, after NHS England advised it would not be possible to measure the target reliably.
Increasing the proportion of antibiotics issued after a diagnostic test was seen as crucial by the authors of the UK’s 2016 review of antimicrobial resistance, because it could cut the volume of incorrect prescribing.
The report’s recommendations include a national preparedness exercise to test AMR resilience and strengthening performance monitoring and implantation – which BIVDA called for in our response to the 2024-2029 AMR action plan.
BIVDA’s Director of Policy and Programmes Paul Fisher said “The NAO have been firm in their assessment that government needs to do more to tackle AMR. BIVDA welcome their recommendations.
“BIVDA are developing a consensus statement on how diagnostics must be used to tackle AMR, which will be launched in Parliament on the 1st April. We will continue to press government to adopt the recommendations of the O’Neil review, that no antibiotics should ever be prescribed in the absence of a diagnostic test.”
You can read the full report here.
