The Marquess of Lothian – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2015-11-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what conclusions they have drawn from the recent findings of Antibiotic Research UK about the possibility of a significant surge in winter antibiotic prescriptions; and what assessment they have made of whether government action is required.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The findings of Antibiotic Research UK are consistent with the data included in the most recent report on English Surveillance Programme for Antimicrobial Utilisation and Resistance published on the 16 November 2015. In the winter of 2014 there was a 16.7% increase in antibiotic prescribing in general practice compared to the summer months.
Public Health England is working to implement the UK 5 Year Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy and as part of this work our surveillance teams are monitoring the seasonality of antibiotic prescribing. It is unclear currently, whether the rise of prescribing in winter months is due solely to the increase in infections or whether some prescribing is inappropriate.
In response to increased usage of antibiotics in winter months, public facing campaigns such as Stay Well This Winter, run by NHS England, take place to increase public awareness of inappropriate prescribing amongst other seasonal concerns.
