PRESCRIPTIONS of antibiotics have fallen in St Helens, a new report has revealed.

An update on the council’s Health Protection Forum, which meets every three months, was provided to the People’s Board this week.

The council report says a key programme area is to reduce “inappropriate” antibiotic use because overuse means infections are becoming resistant.

This is a national priority for Public Health England, the Prevention Board of the Health and Care Partnership across Cheshire and Mersey and for St Helens.

The report reveals that in St Helens, there has been a 14 per cent reduction in antibiotic use since 2017-18, although prescribing rates are still high.

Sue Forster, the council’s director of public health, said while there has been a reduction in antibiotics prescribing, there is still a “lot of work to do”.

There are a number of programmes to improve prescribing levels and ensure appropriate antibiotics are used, including a pilot using point of care testing in high prescribing general practices.

The point of care testing kit will establish when it is appropriate to prescribe antibiotics.

If successful and cost-effective this could be rolled out across general practice

Dr Mike Ejuoneatse, deputy clinical lead for St Helens CCG, asked for an update on the pilot.

Dr Ejuoneatse said: “Whilst there are parameters to decision making, they’re not as accurate as we would like them to be

“So, you’re balancing that risk reward prescribing against the growing threat of sepsis.

“So, trying to get as much information as you can in that kind of grey area of decision making would be really helpful.”

Sue Forster, the council’s director of public health, said she will report back where the council is up to with the pilot.

She said: “I know general practice are dealing with a lot of issues and a lot of people coming in with a lot of o things and demands that are being placed on them

“And it’s not just primary care, we need to realise that we’ve also got dental practices that are also involved and many other clinical areas that are prescribing antibiotics, so it’s not just one area.”

Council leader and People’s Board chairman Derek Long asked the medical professionals on the board whether there was a correlation between deprivation and the use of antibiotics.

Dr David Reade, chairman of the St Helens GP Federation, said it was a “complicated” issue.

He said: “People who live in deprived areas get illnesses at a younger age and tend to present to their primary care clinician a lot more often so therefore they’re busier.

“There is some association between a busy, overordered clinician prescribing things inappropriately, too early, but again it’s a very grey area.”

Dr Reade added that the report was “really positive” for St Helens.

He said: “I think, GPs, we’re actually seeing 14 per cent reduction in prescribing antibiotics.

“That’s a really good, positive message and it reinforces what we’re trying to do.”

Ms Forster replied: “We all like to hear good news.

“If we’re doing something well, unless we tell people that they’re doing the right thing then they don’t necessarily know and they’re doing that in isolation.”

The People’s Board noted the report.