A recent summit called for binding national "rollback" targets on antibiotic prescribing to halt the relentless rise in antibiotic resistance.

Dr Esmita Charani and Prof. Alison Holmes recently attended the a summit on Antimicrobial Resistance at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in London. 

Work done by the HPRU team was well representated at the summit, with our etiquette work being mentioned by speakers Dr Susan Hopkins, Lead on healthcare associated infections for the Royal College of Physicians and Professor Peter Davey, the Lead for Clinical Quality Improvement at the Universitee of Dundee School of Medicine.

At the summit, GPs, hospital doctors, nurses and pharmacists called for binding national targets on antibiotic prescribing to help stop the spread of antibiotic resistance.

The impact of antibiotic resistance has been compared to climate change in terms of its impact on human health.  Healthcare without effective antibiotics is unthinkable to those who have enjoyed the benefits of modern medicine. The stark reality of a world where simple infection and routine surgery become deadly is ahead unless we take action now.

Imperial College has produced a number of tools to help healthcare professionals integrate infection control protocols into their practice, including an the antibiotic prescribing IAPP. The app, along with a host of other tools, is available to download from the CIPM website.