NUH leading the battle against Antibiotic Resistance | Latest news

The UK’s plans to see antimicrobial resistance contained and controlled by 2040 is one step closer, thanks to a new training programme developed by the Blood Culture Improvement Team at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.

The training programme; Getting Infection Right First Time, aims to improve outcomes for patients deteriorating with severe infection and sepsis, and has been commended by NHS England. It is being held up as an example of best practice that will be shared nationally to support training throughout the UK.

Dan Takahashi, Lead Nurse for the Sepsis Recognise and Rescue Team said: “I’m incredibly proud that our new blood culture training programme has been commended in this way by NHS England. It’s heartening to see the team being recognised for their hard work and passion.”

So far, the project team have been able to demonstrate measurable improvements in blood culture practice across the Trust’s Emergency Department and this, in turn is improving outcomes for patients. Good quality blood cultures allows the identification of bacteria that causes infection, and this is the first vital step in getting patients access to the correct treatment. 

Dan adds: “The over-use of broad-spectrum antibiotics is causing an increase in antimicrobial resistance across the world, making it harder for us to treat infections. Taking good quality blood cultures ultimately helps us to limit the spread of resistant bugs and prolongs the life of precious antibiotics.”

The purpose of identifying blood cultures is to identify the bacterial infection that is causing the infection. Poor quality or not taking blood cultures can result in under or over treatment leading to longer recovery times or a prolonged hospital stay, and can even lead to increased morbidity and mortality.