The Microbiology Society welcomes the UK’s new AMR National Action Plan

The Microbiology Society welcomes the launch of the UK Government’s new National Action Plan (NAP) to tackle AMR for the period 2024 to 2029.

We are delighted that UK Government has reaffirmed its long-term commitment to tackling AMR in a ‘One Health’ context, in the UK and internationally. We support the four key themes outlined in the plan and welcome the recognition of the importance for the UK to be a good global partner, since the threat of AMR is a complex global challenge that cannot be tackled in isolation. We also welcome the inclusion of antifungals and public awareness into the new national action plan, which have previously been neglected.

The lack of tangible targets across all commitments is disappointing, as monitoring and evaluation of the national action plan are key to achieving real change. However, we look forward to embracing the Government’s emphasis on the role of civil society organisations and cross-sector collaboration.

Responding to the launch of the NAP, the President of the Microbiology Society, Professor Gurdyal Besra FRS said:

‘Today’s announcement demonstrates the UK Government’s ambitious and long-term commitment to tackle AMR. I’m delighted that the new NAP has taken on learnings from the last five years and aligns with the Microbiology Society’s position on the importance of collaborative working in mitigating the threat of AMR. However, whilst the human-health targets are welcome, the scale of ambition of the plan is undermined by a lack of cross-sectoral targets, which means that it’s not clear how the Government intends to report back on progress and impact as the plan develops.’