REDUCING infections and dealing with resistance to antibiotics is a “key healthcare priority” for the Scottish Government, Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Catherine Calderwood, told the Sunday Herald.
She said: “Our work in Scotland on these areas is globally recognised following our efforts to tackle this over a number of years. Antibiotic prescribing rates have reduced, national stewardship programmes have been introduced and we have invested £4.2 million to set up a Scottish Healthcare Associated Infection Prevention Institute. This is the largest single investment for research into both antimicrobial resistance and infection rates in Scotland ever.”
The Scottish Management of Antimicrobial Resistance Action Plan 2014-18 is also due to be “reviewed and refreshed”, Calderwood added.
“The Scottish One Health Antimicrobial Use and Antimicrobial Resistance Annual Report was published late last year and it shows that, in 2016, the total use of antibiotics in humans was three per cent lower than in 2012, driven mostly by a reduction in antibiotic use in primary care,” she said. While antibiotic use in acute hospitals did increase from 2012 to 2016, the rise has slowed in more recent years – highlighting the importance of continued surveillance of infections and antibiotic stewardship.
“We are currently working with our national key stakeholders to review and refresh the [antimicrobial resistance] strategy in line with the findings outlined in this report and the 2016 national Point Prevalence Survey, published in May 2017.”
Dr Jacqueline Sneddon, project lead for the SAPG, said the most recent data for 2016 showed the overall prescription of antibiotics in Scotland has reduced due to year-on-year decreases in use in the community, where the majority of antibiotics are prescribed.
She said: “This suggests reduced unnecessary use for self-limiting illnesses like coughs and colds. Antibiotic use in hospital continues to rise but at a slower rate than previous years and use of very broad spectrum antibiotics, which are required for serious and resistant infections, have reduced significantly.
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