Antimicrobial resistance: addressing the risks

RAND Europe submitted evidence for the Public Accounts Committee’s investigation of how the UK is implementing the UK National Action Plan (NAP) to respond to risks associated with AMR. Our evidence focused primarily on infrastructure and capabilities that the UK has built that can be helpful in achieving the NAP’s aims, and what will be needed to achieve the plan’s objectives.

In this, we find that the UK has a strong base upon which to build when implementing the NAP. It is a world leader in several areas related to AMR, including research and science, genomic surveillance capabilities, and collaborations across One Health sectors. In addition, innovative programmes in the UK—such as PATH-SAFE and the National Biosurveillance Network—have helped build AMR-related capabilities and are generating knowledge on what works and what does not. These capabilities will be crucial in supporting the objectives of the NAP.

However, generating long-term benefits from the UK’s existing investments will require further investigation, prioritisation, implementation, and scale-up. Without this, the UK will not realise the full benefits of its AMR investments. Prioritising potential initiatives will require consideration early in the funding process of how programmes will achieve long-term impact, how findings will inform specific AMR responses, and what support will be needed to realise these impacts. Implementing the NAP will also require breaking down silos between sectors, addressing challenges in data sharing, and improving preparedness in emergency scenarios.