Public health experts in warning on unnecessary prescribing of antibiotics

Just over a third of patients were given antibiotics for coughs and colds in 1999 but by 2011 this figure had soared to 51 per cent, researchers found.

This is despite the Government issuing guidance in 1998 warning GPs not to issue antibiotics for “simple” coughs and colds.

Health experts from around the globe have warned of the growing threat of antibiotic resistance – fuelled by unnecessary prescribing of the drugs.

The new research, by experts at Public Health England (PHE) and University College London, also found there was “substantial variation” in prescribing among different GP surgeries.

Dr Maureen Baker, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said in response to the study: “Antibiotics are very effective drugs, as long as they are used appropriately. But we have developed a worrying reliance on them and GPs face enormous pressure to prescribe them, even for minor symptoms which will get better on their own or can be treated with other forms of medication.

“Our patients and the public need to be aware of the risks associated with inappropriate use of antibiotics and how to use them responsibly.”