Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what action they have taken towards achieving no antibiotic prescription without diagnostic confirmation by 2027, as recommended by the World Innovation Summit for Health, and what future plans they have towards that aim.

Reducing unnecessary antimicrobial prescriptions by supporting clinicians to prescribe the right antimicrobials only to those who need them is a core undertaking of the Government’s 2024 to 2029 antimicrobial resistance (AMR) national action plan (NAP). The NAP highlights the importance of accurate diagnostic testing to guide effective antibiotic use to help tackle AMR. Specifically, outcome four of the NAP commits to strengthening antimicrobial and diagnostic stewardship by improved targeting of antimicrobials and diagnostic tools. Furthermore, outcome six relates to supporting the development of diagnostics for infection.

The NAP includes targets to achieve a 5% reduction in total antibiotic use in human populations by 2029 from the 2019 baseline, and to ensure 70% of antibiotics used across the human healthcare system are from the ‘Access’ category, a new United Kingdom category, by 2029. The Department continues to work with cross Government bodies, including NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency, to deliver the outcomes and commitments outlined in the NAP.