Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the adequacy of outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy services to patients in rural areas.

It is the responsibility of local commissioners and providers to ensure the adequacy of all services to patients in rural areas, and that includes Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT).

In 2022, NHS England surveyed OPAT provision across England, and that report is available to health and social care workers on FutureNHS. As part of the Antimicrobial Resistance National Action Plan 2024-2029, NHS England plans to repeat that survey to assess the impact of the guidance on OPAT provision.

We also note that to support those who are planning to develop OPAT services, including for rural areas, NHS England published guidance on developing OPAT services to integrated care boards and providers in 2025.