NHS trust takes on 'global crisis'

AWARD nomination... (L-R) Zack Fang, Consultant Microbiologist; Emma Hughes, Senior Clinical Pharmacist (Antimicrobials); Dimitrios Mermerelis, Microbiology Registrar; Vinutha Siddaraju, Microbiology Registrar; Joel Paul, Consultant Virologist; Charlotte Brookfield, Microbiology Registrar; Ivor Cartmill, Consultant Microbiologist; Shuk In (Anita) Ho, ePMA Pharmacy System Manager and Clinical Pharmacist; Mark Livingstone, Head of Pharmacy

A PENNINE Acute Hospitals NHS Trust service which introduced a safe approach to reduce prescriptions to counter antibiotic resistance has been shortlisted for a prestigious award.

The Trust Pharmacy Service introduced a project to explore the prescribing patterns of carbapenems, a group of broad spectrum beta-lactam antibiotics used in many cases as the last effective defence against infections caused by multi-resistant bacteria at the Royal Oldham Hospital.

In the study, the service put carbapenem prescriptions into different categories and used different strategies to safely reduce carbapenem usage in an attempt to counter resistance to the antibiotics which has begun to spread.

Crisis

Their work has earned the service a place on the shortlist in the General Medicine category in the prestigious HSJ Value in Healthcare Awards, which recognise and reward outstanding efficiency and improvement by the NHS.

Dr Zack Fang, consultant microbiologist at the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "It is a great honour to be recognized by the HSJ Value nomination committee to compete for this award.

"Antibiotic resistance is set to become a national and global crisis."

He added that carbapenem antibiotics, such as meropenem, are the last line antibiotic to treat resistant infections however resistance to the antibiotic is increasing, especially in Greater Manchester.

Dr Fang added: "Overuse and inappropriate use of meropenem contributes to this problem for which the Department of Health and various professional organisations are working hard to find solutions.

"The trust antimicrobial stewardship team has been implementing strategies to optimise meropenem use at the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust ensuring patient safety is not compromised.

Germs

"As a result, we have been seeing a sustained yet safe reduction in meropenem use, which is better than the national average.

"We continue to monitor meropenem resistant organisms and would anticipate that this strategy will lead to reduction in numbers of these germs."

The winners will be announced at the HSJ Congress event on May 24 in Manchester.

Last week a review into drug resistance ­- led by Lord Jim O'Neill ­- warned against dishing out antibiotics "like sweets".