Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
GPs in England have "dramatically" reduced the amount of antibiotics they give to patients, latest figures show.
NHS Improvement says prescriptions for all types of antibiotic were down by more than 2.6 million on the previous year to about 34 million in 2015-16.
They say it is a "fantastic result" and shows doctors are being careful not to over-prescribe them.
It is part of a wider drive to stop harmful infections developing resistance to antibiotics.
In the UK, the largest chunk of antibiotic prescribing - 80% - occurs outside of hospital.
And half of these prescriptions are to treat chest infections.
Antibiotics only work for bacterial infections.
There is no point in giving them if the cause of illness is a virus, such as the flu.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-36372617
NHS Improvement says prescriptions for all types of antibiotic were down by more than 2.6 million on the previous year to about 34 million in 2015-16.
They say it is a "fantastic result" and shows doctors are being careful not to over-prescribe them.
It is part of a wider drive to stop harmful infections developing resistance to antibiotics.
In the UK, the largest chunk of antibiotic prescribing - 80% - occurs outside of hospital.
And half of these prescriptions are to treat chest infections.
Antibiotics only work for bacterial infections.
There is no point in giving them if the cause of illness is a virus, such as the flu.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-36372617