For all 4 Derbyshire CCGs: Southern Derbyshire,
Erewash, North Derbyshire and Hardwick
Medicines Management, Cardinal Square,
10 Nottingham Road, Derby. DE1 3QT
2 November 2015
Please distribute this letter to Community Pharmacists
To all Community Pharmacists
Dear Colleague,
European Antibiotic Awareness Day (EAAD) 18.11.15 & World Antibiotic Awareness Week 16-22 Nov 15
We aim to seek your support for the above European-wide public health initiative, aimed at improving public and
professional awareness on the responsible use of antibiotics, in order to keep them effective for the future. The
rise in antibiotic resistance is linked to the extent and the way in which antibiotics are used. Inappropriate use of
antibiotics is the main driver of antibiotic resistance. This has been shown to cause patients to become colonised
or infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, as well as being associated with C. difficile infections in the community.
Key messages
- Patients receiving antibiotics should receive the right drug, at the right dose and the right duration for the
individual. Antibiotics should be taken as prescribed, never saved for later or shared with others. Thus, the
appropriate use of antibiotics will slow down the development of antibiotic resistance.
- Unnecessary lengthy durations of antibiotic treatment and inappropriate use of broad-spectrum antibiotics
should be avoided.
- Many antibiotics are prescribed and used for self-limiting mild infections when they don’t need to be. All colds
and most coughs, sinusitis, otitis media (earache) and sore throats often get better without antibiotics.
- Community pharmacists are well placed to help provide advice on over the counter medicines to treat
symptoms. Discussing details using the new one page patient leaflet Treating Your Infection leaflet for community
pharmacies (by PHE, RCGP etc) can facilitate this process and patients take away this useful advice. Please see
page 2 for more details.
- Communication is key. Studies show that patients are less likely to ask their GP for antibiotics if advised what
to expect in the course of an illness and given self-care advice with realistic recovery times.
- Backup/delayed prescriptions may be used by GPs or prescribers, as appropriate.
PHE have established the Antibiotic Guardian campaign to help protect antibiotics and improve knowledge about
antibiotic resistance across the UK. It includes the Antibiotic Guardian pledge campaign. It calls on everyone in
the UK, the public and medical community to become an antibiotics guardian by choosing one simple pledge
about how they will make better use of these vital medicines. All pharmacy teams are asked to start to
take action please, quickly and easily, by pledging to become Antibiotic Guardians via the link above (thankyou).
All pharmacists are encouraged to participate in this European Antibiotics Awareness initiative. Posters, leaflets
& other resources are available to educate the public and other pharmacy staff. Please see resources on page 2.
We would be grateful if you could please promote this national PHE campaign over the winter season.
Thank you very much in anticipation of your support.
Diane Harris,
Lead Antimicrobial Pharmacist. diane.harris@southernderbyshireccg.nhs.uk
Useful Resources & further information
New. Treating Your Infection leaflet for community pharmacies (by RCGP & PHE). It covers a range of conditions:
colds; coughs; sinusitis; middle ear infections; and sore throats and is a useful self-care guide to help patients
treat their infection. It includes advice on: illness duration; self-care and when to get help or re-consult.
The web-based TARGET antibiotic toolkit is hosted by RCGP and provides a central resource for information
about antibiotic prescribing and is useful for primary care. It includes: guidance to help clinicians decide when
and which antibiotics to prescribe; education for groups of primary care staff or individual clinicians; and tools
such as patient leaflets to share in the consultation and posters and videos to play in the waiting areas.
Please note that our local Antimicrobial Treatment Guidelines (across 4 Derbyshire CCGs) are available from:
Antimicrob. guidelines.
Other Resources
Treat Yourself Better with pharmacist advice.
Did you know that antibiotics will NOT treat cold and flu symptoms? Find out what you can do to treat
yourself better.
NHS Choices website: the Antibiotic Awareness Campaign Antibiotic Awareness Campaign materials.
The short Department of Health YouTube cartoons “take care, not antibiotics” (for use in waiting areas)
Other European Awareness Day Resources – available via copying the link below.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/european-antibiotic-awareness-day-resources
The main EAAD Resources include:
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Key messages on antibiotic use
Toolkit for healthcare professionals in England
Antibiotic awareness: quizzes and crosswords
Promotional material: Antibiotic awareness resources: quizzes and crosswords
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Treating your infection leaflets
Posters & Leaflets
Promotional material: Antibiotic awareness resources: posters and leaflets
PSNC explains that antimicrobial resistance threatens the future of healthcare and that pharmacists, their teams
and other healthcare workers have a vital role to play in preserving the power of antimicrobials and in controlling
and preventing the spread of infections that require antibiotic treatment. http://psnc.org.uk/our-news/antibioticawareness-resources-toolkit-for-healthcare-professionals/
CPPE has a variety of learning events and materials on ‘Antibacterials’, as per below:
Antibacterials - focal point (Distance Learning)
Antibacterials - focal point (Workshop)
Antibacterials - focal point (E-Assessment)
Antibacterials (2nd edition): Learning at Lunch - Resources for educators and trainers
Antibacterials (2nd edition): Learning at Lunch – Distance Learning
Antibacterials: Learning at lunch, 2015 (E-Assessment)
Antimicrobials and infection management (E-Learning)
Antibiotics and their role in managing infections (Distance Learning)
Antibiotics and their role in managing infections, 2015 (E-Assessment)
Antibacterial resistance - a global threat to public health: the role of the pharmacy team (Distance Learning)