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Antimicrobial Stewardship - Children dashboard

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global problem that impacts all countries and all people. The Department of Health and Social Care sets out a 5-year national action plan and a 20-year vision to tackle AMR. The UK 5-year action plan: Tackling antimicrobial resistance 2019 to 2024, focuses on 3 ways to tackle AMR:

  • reducing need for, and unintentional exposure to, antimicrobials
  • optimising use of antimicrobials
  • investing in innovation, supply and access

In the 2019/2020 financial year, around 30 million antibiotic prescription items were dispensed.  Children aged 0 to14 years accounted for 3.6 million (12%) of these items, of which 48% was prescribed to children aged 0 to 4 years.  Amoxicillin is the most prescribed antibiotic to children and accounts for 53% of all antibiotic use in children aged 0 to 4 years old.

The purpose of the ‘Antimicrobial Stewardship dashboard – Children’ is to allow NHS organisations to:

  • see the variation in antibiotic prescribing for children aged 0 to 14 years
  • compare antibiotic prescribing rates over time and between organisations
  • understand how many children are prescribed one or more antibiotics
  • identify and prioritise opportunities for antimicrobial stewardship improvement
  • monitor and report antimicrobial stewardship improvement

The comparators for the dashboard are:

  • ASC01 – Prescribing of antibacterial items per 1,000 children
  • ASC02 – Number of children prescribed antibiotics per 1,000 children
  • ASC03 – Number of children prescribed multiple antibiotics
  • ASC04 – Prescribing of specific antibiotics per 1,000 children
  • ASC05 – Prescribing of UTI related antibiotic items per 1,000 children

Antimicrobial Stewardship dashboard - Children Specification (Word: 281KB)

If you’re registered, you can access the Antimicrobial Stewardship dashboard – Children on ePACT2.

Access ePACT2