Summary
Antibiotics are key to modern medicine and treatment. Many procedures and treatments developed over recent years, such as chemotherapy, organ transplants and other major surgery, rely on antibiotics to prevent infections. They are also crucial in treating some forms of pneumonia and other illnesses.
However, an increasing number of common infections are becoming resistant to the drugs designed to treat them. This is called antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) is part of the fight against AMR. The purpose of AMS is to ensure ‘the right antibiotic for the right patient, at the right time, with the right dose, and the right route, causing the least harm to the patient and future patients’. AMS programmes might include improving prescribing of antibiotics, promoting data collection and raising public awareness of AMR.
Content
This report sets out to explore how antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programmes are working to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR), by asking Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) about their practice and experience of local stewardship. It is a follow-up to the Patients Association’s 2016 report on the same subject, and highlights some progress and areas for improvement in key areas.
Using Freedom of Information Requests (FOIs), CCGs in England were asked a range of questions about their AMS programmes, relating to national guidance, toolkits and practice. The national policy and practice landscape puts AMS programmes at the heart of fighting AMR, and securing long-term quality healthcare for patients as a result. Primary care professionals are key to making these successful.
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