Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 19
19
Accepted
UK preparedness for acute AMR risks is strong initially, but scaling up remains challenging.
Conclusion
We also asked DHSC about the UK’s preparedness for addressing the chronic risk of AMR and the possibility of it becoming an acute risk. DHSC told us that the UK has a strong base which would make the initial response positive, however it may be more challenging to scale up response efforts. UKHSA told us that AMR is sometimes included as an aspect of its preparedness exercises, for example on influenza or salmonella outbreaks.51
Government Response Summary
The government states AMR has been incorporated into the 2025 National Risk Register and Chronic Risks Analysis, and describes ongoing processes for identifying and assessing chronic risks, including future publications and inter-departmental collaboration.
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.