Healthcare and public health bodies have come together to clamp down on the misuse and overuse of antibiotics. In a joint statement, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and the UK Faculty of Public Health (UKFPH) urged healthcare professionals to abandon the ‘better safe than sorry’ approach to antibiotic prescribing and help overcome the perception of antibiotics as a ‘cure all’.

The guidance calls for pharmacists, doctors and nurses to re-educate patients about the consequences of overusing antibiotics, as well as providing self care advice to help them fight off infections without antibiotics. Further recommendations include: improving the monitoring of antibiotic prescriptions, introducing a minimum dosage for antibiotics and seeking more action to develop new antibiotics or alternatives. The call follows warnings in the media from the Prime Minister and the Chief Medical Officer for England about the dangers of resistance to antibiotics.

Phil Howard, RPS consultant pharmacist in antimicrobials, said: “If we are still to have effective antibiotics in 20 years’ time, the public and healthcare professionals need to change their attitude to antibiotics now.”