Recommendation 2

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.