Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 2
2
Accepted
Mandate DHSC and Defra to review and increase ambition of AMR targets regularly.
Recommendation
Government has missed most of the targets in the 2019–24 National Action Plan (NAP) and the ambition of the new targets is much more modest. While the government previously set targets for reductions of 50% in Gram-negative bloodstream infections1 and 10% in drug-resistant infections, the 2024–29 NAP targets are only to prevent an increase in the number of infections from a 2019–20 baseline. The government considers that its new targets are challenging due to demographic changes, such as an increasing and ageing population. However, they will not be enough to achieve a meaningful mitigation of the AMR threat in the UK. We were also told that there is an increasing threat from more resistant strains of pathogens which cause Gram-negative infections and are more likely to 1 Gram-negative refers to a group of bacteria which are named after the laboratory test used to identify them. They are the leading cause of healthcare-associated bloodstream infections and include a range of bacteria including E. coli. 3 result in the death of the patient. There are currently no targets to further reduce antimicrobial usage in animals, and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is concerned that reductions have plateaued. recommendation DHSC and Defra should review progress against the AMR targets by late 2025 and at regular intervals after this to decide whether to increase the range and ambition of the targets to control AMR.
Government Response Summary
The government agreed and stated it already conducts biannual formal reporting and annual reviews of AMR targets, with analysis of surveillance trends and expert advice informing potential revisions to ambition. New sector-specific targets for livestock are also expected in late 2025.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. effectiveness, guide future action, and ensure alignment with broader public health objectives. The government conducts formal reporting on these targets biannually. Additionally, targets are subject to annual review over the summer, with the potential to revise, if deemed appropriate and agreed by the UK AMR Strategy Board. Analysis of surveillance trends will inform recommendations on the range and ambition of targets. UKHSA will also model trends in specific drug-resistant infections, accounting for population changes, to project counterfactual trends. Expert advice on target revisions will be sought from the Advisory Committee on Antimicrobial Prescribing, Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection. The government supports achievable targets being set, to help secure support from the healthcare system and contribute to long-term change. UKHSA predicts the incidence of drug-resistant and gram-negative blood stream infections will continue to rise due to increasing age, medical comorbidities, and population demographic changes. Therefore, preventing an increase in these infections from the 2019 baseline is currently ambitious. The government has previously supported targets developed by the livestock sectors through the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance (RUMA) Targets Task Force on AMR, which have resulted in a 59% reduction in antibiotic use in livestock since 2014. The livestock sectors, coordinated by RUMA, are developing a new set of sector-specific targets, which are due to be published in late 2025. If sufficiently ambitious, the Vetinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) will incorporate them into the NAP delivery programme.