Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 30
30
Accepted
Significant workforce shortfall of medical microbiologists and virologists undermines NHS infection control.
Recommendation
Another challenge relates to the NHS workforce. There is a shortfall of professionals in this area, including of medical microbiologists and virologists.77 According to the Royal College of Pathologists, there is a 20% shortfall in consultant medical microbiologists and a 14% shortfall in consultant virologists.78 UKHSA told us that these scientists are essential to ensure that national guidelines on AMR are used by hospitals, training staff and providing input into infection control and the built environment.79 NHS England said that workforce shortfalls will be addressed through the long-term workforce plan and that it was reviewing postgraduate medical training to ensure enough people were going into these specialties.80 We also heard that there are — and testing — in the UK which had to be revolved so that own could be properly
Government Response Summary
The government accepts the recommendation to address workforce shortfalls by Summer 2026, outlining plans to prioritise AMR and infection control, publish an IPC Workforce and Education Strategy by September 2025, and integrate AMR prevention into undergraduate and postgraduate medical training by 2026.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
5.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation Target implementation date: Summer 2026 5.2 The government is prioritising AMR and infection control across the healthcare system. This includes embedding AMR into national and regional strategies, local Integrated Care Board (ICB) plans, clinical pathways, and provider contracts. AMR is, and will continue to be included in, performance and accountability frameworks for the NHS. 5.3 NHSE is supporting the workforce to reduce infections through: • A forthcoming infection prevention and control (IPC) Workforce and Education Strategy (September 2025), which will define national to provider-level responsibilities for embedding AMR and IPC. • Publishing a 10-year workforce plan to ensure that the number of medical specialty training places meets future NHS demands. • Integrating AMR prevention into undergraduate and postgraduate training for those graduating in 2026. • Publishing a capability framework for antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) roles, building on the existing framework for IPC staff. • Working with regulators to ensure AMR competencies are part of professional registration standards. • With UKHSA, implementing TARGET AMS tools across general practice. 5.4 Actions to address AMR in the NHS estate include: • Inclusion of emerging evidence on AMR into NHSE’s technical guidance and standards for existing estate. • Establishment of a cross-function working group on water safety to assess AMR risks within the built environment. • The New Hospital Programme, working with partners to deliver the next generation of NHS hospitals, aims to reduce AMR through innovative approaches to design and care models, informed by research and learnings from past healthcare failures. 5.5 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation Target implementation date: Spring 2027 5.6 As set out in the NAP, UKHSA has clear commitments to advance understanding around the spread of infection through using its modular ward. The modular ward will generate evidence on how the hospital environment contributes to the spread of AMR infection and how wards should be designed, refurbished and operated to enhance IPC. 5.7 UKHSA are studying environmental reservoirs of AMR organisms and assessing the effectiveness of controls in the built environment to prevent their spread. This includes investigating the impact of hand wipes and vacuums to prevent toilet aerosolisations. Evidence is being inputted into recommendations on surface cleaning and disinfection. The model ward will directly contribute to this through delivering training to IPC specialists. 5.8 Mitigating the risks associated with water and wastewater systems is a particular focus. The modular hospital ward is currently being used to inform sink, shower and toilet installation and design. Data are being used to inform the New Hospital Programme, enhancing existing guidance (NHS Estates Technical Bulletin (NETB) No.2024/3) and supporting and informing IPC strategies. 5.9 In addition to carrying out its own programme of research, UKHSA provides visiting academic researchers access to the modular ward facility and supports training programmes.