Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR) Week 2025
The 18th-25th November each year is World AMR week. Designed to have a global impact on awareness of antimicrobial resistance and promote best practice in terms of preventing infections and stewardship of antimicrobials within the health profession.
Led in the UK by UKHSA the week includes promotional information on ‘keep antibiotics working’ and asking organisations and individuals to be antibiotic guardians.
This year the health protection team within Public Health have been raising awareness with education providers, care homes and at Torbay Hospital.
What is AMR?
Antimicrobial resistance is a process of natural selection which can happen for antibiotics, antivirals, anti-parasitic and antifungals. In 1945, Alexander Fleming predicted the development of resistance and noting this within his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, for the discovery of penicillin. Laboratory studies showed how microbes could be made resistant and he reasoned the same would occur in the body.
Why Does AMR Matter?
The World Health Organisation has declared antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as one of the top global public health and development threats, and AMR is listed on the UK government’s National Risk Register. There is a UK 5-year action plan for antimicrobial resistance (2024 to 2029).
In the UK, AMR is associated with twice as many deaths annually as breast cancer.
It makes infections harder or sometimes impossible to treat, prolonging illness and increasing the risk of harm or death. AMR also drives up healthcare costs and threatens the delivery of safe and effective care across the NHS.[1]
[1] NHS England letter – November 2025
Kings Fund – What if antibiotics stopped working? [2]
Today, we live in an age where antimicrobials, in particular antibiotics, save lives, on average adding 20 years to life expectancy across the globe.
If we go back to living without antibiotics we would lose modern medicine. Cancer treatment and organ transplants, as examples, rely on the back up of antibiotics, antifungals and antivirals.
Each year, around 4,000,000 operations are carried out in England and for most of these, antibiotics are key to preventing infections both pre- and post-operatively. One in four births in England is by caesarean section, where antibiotics are used to protect mother and baby. And half of women in the UK will suffer a urinary tract infection at some point in their lies and most of these will need antibiotics to treat the infection.
We know that only 10 per cent of sore throats benefit from antibiotic treatment (because most are viral), yet antibiotics are prescribed in as many as 60 per cent of cases, meaning that many of these prescriptions are unnecessary.
It is not only human health where antibiotics are prescribed inappropriately. It also happens in animal husbandry and fish farming where antibiotics are used widely for both growth promotion – where they are often incorporated into feed – and to prevent possible infection – in many cases this is done to compensate for poor sanitation and hygiene. In some cases, antibiotics are given to the whole herd/ flock when one animal develops an infection rather than isolating and treating the sick animal.
What Needs to Happen?
Any solution would include:
- behavioural change
- rapid diagnostics
- better stewardship
- improved surveillance of infections and resistant bacteria.
- alternatives to antibiotics
- stimulate new drug discovery
- prevent infections – this is perhaps the most important intervention, and one which we can all do. Meticulous hand-washing and basic hygiene prevent infections occurring and reduces the transfer of infections. Taking up vaccination offers to prevent infections or the use of anti-virals.
What are we doing?
Torbay’s Health Protection Team works with partners across Devon and Cornwall to look at how we can improve our antimicrobial stewardship with a One Health approach looking at human health, animal health and agriculture. We also work to raise awareness with professionals and residents developing our own resources, providing equipment and talks and utilising those created by UKHSA.
Torbay Hospital Main Entrance
On 19th November, we took over the Main Reception exhibition space to promote AMR through promoting handwashing techniques using our handwashing training kit, providing resources on vaccinations and from the University of Bristol on Children within Coughs and promoting winter wellness. We worked with the hospitals vaccination team to promote vaccinations to staff for flu and the Outreach Team from University Hospital Plymouth to provide seasonal vaccinations to local residents.
We spoke with staff and residents across the day about AMR but also about how they can protect their (and others’) health.
Torbay Personal Development Professionals Network
We also presented at this network for AMR week and showcased the resources available to education settings across Torbay.
Find out more
Take a look at the Government’s National Action Plan.
Read the Kings Fund report in full – What if Antibiotics Stopped Working?
Or contact the Health Protection Team to find out more about the resources we offer: [email protected]
[1] UKHSA Andibiotic campaign 2025
[2] Davies S, Sugden R. What if antibiotics stopped working? The King’s Fund. 2017 Feb 8. Available from: https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/long-reads/nhs-if-antibiotics-stopped-working
[3] Created using CANVA
[4] Created using CANVA
[5] Cabral, C. Ingram, J. Redmond, N. Horwood, J. Blair, P. Hollinghurst, S. Hay, A. Lucas P. 2016, ‘Caring for children with coughs: Information and advice for parents’. University of Bristol, Bristol
[6] One Health Trust
[7] Image from Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust. Torbay Hospital Main Exhibition space (2025).
[8] Torbay Council image. Stage Left, Palace Avenue (2025).
