The overuse and inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics has been a major factor in bacteria such as MRSA developing a resistance to antibiotics. The Task Force provided guidelines to Boards in 2005 to improve prescribing practices. The Task Force revised these guidelines as part of its second phase of work and published the Scottish Management of Antimicrobial Resistance Action Plan (ScotMARAP) in February 2008. ScotMARAP outlines the national programme for Scotland in tackling antimicrobial resistance over the next five years.
To implement the recommendations in the report, the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has established a national forum, entitled "the Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group (SAPG)" to improve the quality of antimicrobial prescribing in Scotland. SAPG is funded by the Task Force and will regularly report its advice and technical outputs directly to those affected. The SMC will ensure that the HAI Task Force as funder, is regularly updated on SAPG activities.