A new report issued by the National Audit Office (NAO) suggests that the dire state of National Health Service (NHS) hospitals in the UK is impeding efforts to combat the significant public health menace of antibiotic resistance. The NAO maintains that subpar practices implemented internationally, including in the UK, are exacerbating antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
The report by NAO suggests that the escalating AMR problem is largely fueled by the overutilization and misuse of antimicrobial drugs, such as prescribing antibiotics to cure viral infections, which is unnecessary. Ineffective infection control and prevention measures also contribute to the issue. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare organizations were compelled to enhance their infection prevention and control standards.
Nonetheless, the NAO report points out that due to the pressures of overburdened services, healthcare staff may find it challenging to adhere to best practices consistently. The state of the NHS estate has significantly deteriorated over recent years, with some hospitals and healthcare settings falling short of modern medicine’s demands.
Over time, medical infrastructure and equipment become more challenging to service and clean. There is also a shortage of isolation rooms for infectious patients. Exposure to infections, in turn, elevates antibiotic use. Moreover, Hospitals and other NHS buildings across the UK are grappling with massive bills to upgrade properties to an expected minimum standard.
According to the report, AMR is directly linked to 7,600 deaths every year in the UK and contributes to approximately 35,200 deaths annually. Antimicrobial resistance occurs when microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites evolve to resist the drugs used to combat the infections they cause, rendering the drugs ineffective.
Although the government has been addressing the issue of AMR for over a decade, the NAO report states that there has been ‘limited progress’ in the AMR action plan spanning the last five years. Looking ahead, unless measurable changes to curtail the spread of AMR are made, it posses a serious threat to human life and society as we know it.