A report from the National Audit Office into government efforts to tackle AMR finds that while the government is taking the threat seriously, only one target from the Government’s own 5-year action plan has been met, reducing antibiotic use food-producing animals, such as pigs by 25% between 2016 and 2020. However, drug-resistant infections in humans have increased to levels seen before the pandemic.

The NAO report also details that diagnostic tests are vital to improving appropriate prescribing of antimicrobials, something the College has consistently highlighted and the government has committed to improving. However, challenges remain, with the NAO’s report finding that the government failed to meet a target to report on the percentage of antibiotic prescriptions that are supported by an objective diagnostic test. This was due to unaddressed data limitations which prevented NHS England from recording such data, including:

• Incompatibility between pathology systems and electronic prescribing records.
• A lack of a standardised national digital pathology system.

As the College has advocated for, using compatible Laboratory Information Systems (LIMS) and Electronic Patient Records) EPR within pathology networks will help infection specialists to capture and monitor antibiotic prescriptions, better advise clinicians on antimicrobial stewardship and have greater oversight of the use of antimicrobials across their local NHS.

The report also highlights in gaps in health data concerning animals, with limited surveillance of antibiotic use and resistance in cattle and sheep and in companion animals, such as dogs and cats. The College has also called for improved surveillance in animals, iterating the importance of surveillance in preventing unnecessary antibiotic use, detecting emerging resistant strains, preventing the spread and persistence of AMR and informing policies and regulations.

The College will continue to advocate for its members involved in human and animal medicine, to ensure they have the tools needed to support governments in the UK and internationally tackle antimicrobial resistance.