Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 18
18
Accepted
AMR is a chronic risk with potential acute threats, hindering sustained government focus.
Recommendation
The government categorises AMR as one of 26 ‘chronic’ risks facing the UK, which means that it poses a long-term, continuous challenge to the UK, as opposed to an ‘acute’ risk which is an immediate threat which may require an emergency response.48 Chronic risks can manifest as acute risks themselves and can also make other acute risks more severe.49 When we asked DHSC about the risk classification of AMR, it told us that there was a small risk of a wave of a significant AMR organism going around the world and needing emergency action. It said that AMR is more of a chronic risk that grows over time, but that this can make it harder to deal with and ensure that attention is sufficiently focused on it continually, because it is something gradually increasing in the background, rather than highly visible and of which the seriousness is easily understood.50
Government Response Summary
The government agrees, stating that Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) has been incorporated as a chronic risk in the 2025 National Risk Register and Chronic Risks Analysis, and a new process for identifying and assessing chronic risks has been established by Summer 2025.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
3.6 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation Target implementation date: Summer 2025 3.7 AMR has been incorporated in the 2025 National Risk Register as a chronic risk, as well as in the Chronic Risks Analysis, the UK's first bespoke assessment for medium to long-term challenges facing the nation. The government has established a new process for identifying and assessing chronic risks to help policymakers understand the potential implications of these risks on their policy areas and develop appropriate mitigations. 3.8 The Chronic Risks Analysis was published alongside the Resilience Strategy in July 2025, with the aim to build understanding of these critical issues amongst risk practitioners, businesses, academics and policymakers, to support their planning and preparations. The Cabinet Office will publish an updated Chronic Risks Analysis before the end of this Parliament to arm the next UK government with a clear picture of chronic risks as they are developing, and to support our work to prevent risks materialising across government and business. 3.9 DHSC and Defra work closely with the Cabinet Office and are committed to continuing to provide policy and technical advice to the Cabinet office on future risk assessments on AMR as a Chronic Risk.