The Royal Papworth Hospital's antimicrobial stewardship team has been given a regional honour for its superb efforts in antibiotic usage.

The team at the NHS Foundation Trust met two targets set by the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England’s commissioning for quality and innovation framework.

These targets were 'prompt and appropriate switching of antimicrobials from intravenous to oral' and 'a 10 per cent reduction in the use of watch/reserve antibiotics.'

Achieving these targets means patients at the leading heart and lung hospital are benefiting from safer care through best practice in antibiotic usage.

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Switching from intravenous (IV) to oral antibiotics, when appropriate, is linked to improved patient outcomes.

This is due to a decreased risk of infections associated with the IV line and a reduced risk of medication errors such as dilution and dosage calculations.

Oral antibiotics often help with earlier discharge, further reducing the risk of infections from prolonged hospital stays.

The Royal Papworth’s AMS team met their target, ensuring that 80 per cent of intravenous antimicrobial prescriptions are appropriate.

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The hospital was one of two in the eastern region to have achieved the 10 per cent target, with a total decrease of 21 per cent in the use of watch/reserve antibiotics.

Dr Sumita Pai, consultant microbiologist, said: “It’s really important to reduce our use of both ‘watch’ and ‘reserve’ categories of antibiotics.

"Over-using and inappropriately using these drugs will only accelerate their ability to become resistant, meaning clinicians have fewer options available to treat patients in the future.

“We were able to achieve this reduction in part because of appropriate and timely switching of antimicrobials from intravenous to oral.

“I want to thank the whole AMS team here at Royal Papworth Hospital, which includes pharmacists and microbiologists, and all our other colleagues particularly on inpatient wards who support our work.”