Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) early detection and (b) surveillance of antibiotic-resistant infections.

The Unified Infection Dataset (UID) supports early detection of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through epidemiological outputs, infectious disease surveillance, outbreak response, and allied research with rich linked data. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has developed innovative analytical tools for large datasets via the UID and the Enterprise Data Analytics Platform (EDAP). AMR-related data continues to be ingested into the EDAP, including:

• national laboratory surveillance data from the UKHSA’s Second Generation Surveillance System;
• healthcare associated infections (HCAI) data from the UKHSA’s data capture system; and
• health equity data.

The EDAP aims to deliver a strategic platform for data enrichment, data analytics, and data science for AMR and HCAI and will support streamlined and timely surveillance outputs to tackle AMR and improve public health.

The UKHSA’s Porton AMR network leads on the discovery and development of novel antimicrobials, optimising antibiotic combinations, vaccines, and non-traditional therapies. The UKHSA is also working on advancing AMR typing and whole genome sequencing reference laboratory services and providing clinical advice to support NHS England front line services dealing with AMR associated infections.

NHS England is streamlining diagnostic innovation through the cross-sector ‘Moving Forwards Infection Diagnostics’ events series. Engagement will inform an ‘infection diagnostics framework’ by 2027 and identify target product profiles for diagnostics needed in the National Health Service. A rapid review pipeline to identify optimal tests within the market and assess how existing diagnostics can be optimised is also being produced. These winter ‘Point of Care Testing’ pilots have been funded to further build the evidence base.