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Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy and Scottish Action Plan
Introduction
The Government gave a commitment to develop a comprehensive UK Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy in response to the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology's Report "Resistance to Antibiotics and other Antimicrobial Agents".
I This document integrates the UK-wide strategy with a three-year Action Plan for Scotland and aims to:
Explain the Strategy, its rationale and objectives;
Outline the key actions required nationally and as a basis for use by individual departments and organisations in building up their own action plans;
Demonstrate the coherence of Scottish and UK-wide action;
Provide a framework for co-ordinating and evaluating the raft of work being undertaken by Government departments and many organisations to reduce antimicrobial resistance.
It takes into account the recommendations of the Standing Medical Advisory Committee (SMAC) in its report "The Path of Least Resistance",
II recommendations from the World Health Organization's (WHO) former Division of Emerging and Other Communicable Diseases Surveillance and Control,
III the recommendations of the European Conference on "The Microbial Threat" in Copenhagen in September 1998,
IV and the World Health Assembly Resolution of May 1998.
V
The Strategy recognises the need for action across a wide range of interests and by many organisations and individuals. Since micro-organisms do not recognise geographical boundaries and are increasingly spread through international travel and commerce, it also recognises the need for Scotland and the UK to participate internationally, as well as at local and national levels.
This plan is intended to cover work over the next three years. It will be kept under review, and will evolve with time to take account of achievements, scientific development and organisational changes. This will be undertaken by the UK Interdepartmental Steering Group and the Scottish Executive Steering Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (Annex 1).
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