England saw hundreds of antibiotic-resistant infections per week last year, despite a decrease in both private and NHS antibiotic use, new surveillance data has revealed. <\/p>\n
A report published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) today showed that the number of private antibiotic prescriptions supplied by community pharmacies fell 20.8% between 2024 and 2025, from 0.61 to 0.48 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day (DID). <\/p>\n
Read more: Pharmacy First: Report reveals \u2018no change\u2019 to UTI antibiotic resistance<\/a>\u202f <\/p>\n It also found that between 2019 and 2025, total antibiotic use in the NHS decreased by 10.7%, from 17.8 to 15.9 DID. <\/p>\n It said this reflected \u201cfurther progress in reducing antibiotic use\u201d in the NHS amid \u201congoing efforts to promote best prescribing practices\u201d. <\/p>\n Read more: \u2018Low prices\u2019 threaten off-patent antibiotic access, study warns<\/a>\u202f <\/p>\n But UKHSA also revealed that the number of antibiotic-resistant infections in England \u201ccontinued to rise\u201d last year, with 406 reported cases each week, on average. <\/p>\n This equated to 21,129 cases in total in 2025, up 16.8% from 18,086 in 2019, it said. <\/p>\n Pharmacy First <\/p>\n The report found that antibiotic supply through Pharmacy First \u201cincreased substantially\u201d in 2025, up 53% compared to February to December 2024, the first 11 months following the launch of the service. <\/p>\n But it said the \u201cproportion of consultations resulting in an antibiotic supply decreased\u201d last year compared to that period, \u201csuggesting that increased activity was accompanied by proportionally lower antibiotic use\u201d. <\/p>\n Read more: MHRA to review fluoroquinolone safety after patient death<\/a>\u202f <\/p>\n It also noted that private antibiotic consumption \u201cdeclined for the first time since the pandemic between 2024 and 2025\u201d. <\/p>\n It attributed this dip to \u201creduced community pharmacy supply, which may reflect changes in healthcare-seeking behaviour, increased use of NHS services such as Pharmacy First and optimisation of antibiotic treatment durations in line with NICE guidance\u201d. <\/p>\n And it said that antibiotics supplied privately represented just 4% of total primary care antibiotic consumption across both NHS and private sectors in England in 2025. <\/p>\n Pharmacists\u2019 role <\/p>\n The report stressed that pharmacy professionals \u201cplay an important role in addressing health inequalities in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through their roles in prescribing, antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) and patient education\u201d. <\/p>\n It said a \u201crapid scoping review\u201d found that pharmacy teams \u201chave the potential to address inequalities in the prevention and treatment of infection, antibiotic use and AMR\u201d. <\/p>\n But it added that \u201cthe evidence remains limited\u201d, particularly on whether pharmacy-led interventions can reduce disparities in health outcomes. <\/p>\n Read more: AI makes better antibiotic choices for UTIs, study finds<\/a>\u202f <\/p>\n UKHSA said two workshops were delivered in 2026 to support pharmacy technicians with knowledge and confidence gaps in AMS. <\/p>\n It said \u201conly half of the participants answered all seven knowledge questions correctly in the pre-webinar survey\u201d, increasing to 71.6% in the post-webinar survey. <\/p>\n \u201cAlthough knowledge levels improved, the findings showed that further support is needed to help pharmacy technicians feel confident taking an active role in stewardship activities,\u201d the health agency added. <\/p>\n \u201cSignificant challenges\u201d remain <\/p>\n UKHSA interim chief medical advisor Dr Shona Arora said \u201cit is positive to see signs that ongoing efforts to promote responsible antibiotic use are having an impact, but there are still significant challenges as resistant infections continue to increase\u201d. <\/p>\n She advised people to \u201cremember to only take antibiotics if you have been told to do so by a healthcare professional\u201d and stressed that patients with surplus antibiotics should \u201ctake them to a pharmacy which can dispose of them appropriately\u201d. <\/p>\n Read more: UKHSA: AMR knowledge \u2018highest\u2019 among doctors and pharmacists<\/a> <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s also important to take up the vaccinations you are eligible for to help stop infections in the first place,\u201d she added. <\/p>\n It comes after UKHSA revealed last November that there has been \u201cno change in resistance\u201d to a common UTI antibiotic<\/a> following its introduction to the Pharmacy First service. <\/p>\n