Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report published by his Department entitled Tackling antimicrobial resistance 2019–2024: the UK's 5-year national action plan, published on 24 January 2019, whether his Department is taking steps to (a) tackle the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance and (b) embed support for antimicrobial stewardship in his Department's work.

The United Kingdom’s antimicrobial national action plan aims to reduce the need for and unintentional exposure to antimicrobials by lowering the burden of infection; optimise the use of antimicrobials; and invest in innovation, supply and access of new diagnostics, therapies and vaccines.

Diagnostics and antimicrobial stewardship leads have been appointed in NHS England regional teams and national toolkits, decision aids and guidelines to support the appropriate use of antimicrobials have been developed and published. Commissioning for Quality and Innovation schemes for management of urinary tract infection and reducing antimicrobial use in secondary care have also been implemented.