Antibiotic consumption falls but antibiotic-resistant infections rise

According to data presented in a new report from Public Health England there has been a 32% increase in the estimated number of antibiotic resistant bloodstream infections from key bacterial species between 2015 and 2019. However it also reports that antibiotic consumption continues to fall year-on-year, driven by a continued decrease in general practices where most antibiotics continue to be prescribed. The total antibiotic prescribing in primary care settings decreased by 13.7% from 2015 to 2019.

Some of the key learning resources around antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are listed on the Prescribing page

Ref: English surveillance programme for antimicrobial utilisation and resistance (ESPAUR) report 2019-20, PHE 18 November 2020