The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 280 No 7484 p3
5/12 January 2008

This article
Reprint   Photocopy

  Acrobat Reader

News summary

Antimicrobial pharmacist funding boost announced

Every hospital trust in England will be able to fund an antimicrobial pharmacist post following allocation of £270m a year to support infection control in the NHS.

A Department of Health strategy document launched this week brings together current initiatives to combat healthcare- associated infections and outlines areas where the NHS should invest money by 2010–11.

Launching the strategy, Health Secretary Alan Johnson said: “Antibiotics do not work on most coughs, colds and sore throats and their unnecessary use can leave the body susceptible to gut infections like Clostridium difficile. The new pharmacists that trusts will be able to recruit will be key to ensuring proper antibiotic prescribing on wards.”

The document, entitled “Clean, safe care — reducing infections and saving lives”, states: “Investing in pharmacy teams will allow pharmacists to work proactively with other clinical staff — such as medical microbiologists and infectious disease specialists — and free time to undertake other key activities, such as clinical audits.”

Kieran Hand, consultant pharmacist for anti-infectives at Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust, told The Journal that the Government’s announcement was “a welcome development” in the fight against antimicrobial resistance and healthcare- associated infection.

“The new DoH infection control strategy consolidates the position of the antimicrobial pharmacist at the heart of multidisciplinary antimicrobial stewardship activities in our hospitals and represents a well deserved acknowledgement of the achievements of pharmacists protecting public health in these important roles in recent years,” he said.

The document also sets out a number of other measures to tackle infections. For instance, applications for foundation trust status will not be supported by the Secretary of State unless trusts are consistently hitting local targets on infection control.

In February 2008, a new nationwide campaign will be launched to remind the public and healthcare professionals that antibiotics are not effective against many common ailments.