ESPAUR Oversight Group Members’ Activities and Actions to Tackle AMR – Mapping to the National Action Plan (ESPAUR Report 2024-2025)

Abstract ESPAUR was established in 2013 with the aim to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in England. The ESPAUR Oversight Group (OG) is comprised of over 30 stakeholder organisations including government agencies, national health services and public health authorities and professional bodies.1,2 This abstract highlights the collaborative work undertaken by the UKHSA in collaboration with ESPAUR OG members to prevent the spread of AMR and to implement antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) interventions. Following the publication of the 2024-29 UK National Action Plan (NAP) for AMR a mapping exercise has been conducted where ESPAUR OG members contributions are mapped to commitments within the NAP. A total of 45 updates from seven organisations in support of 16 commitments and 6 outcomes within NAP have been reported to ESPAUR between May 2024 and June 2025. Examples of these activities are shown in Figure 1 with a more comprehensive list included in the ESPAUR report.3 Figure 1.Examples of activities undertaken by ESPAUR Oversight Group members to support the UK National Action Plan 2024-29 for AMR. Permission for use granted by UKHSA ESPAUR team. Activities range from delivering and contributing to workshops, webinars and professional educational programmes on infection prevention and control (IPC) aligned to AMS, to implementing AMS initiatives, producing guidelines and educational resources, and attending international conferences and meetings on AMR. For example, the Royal College of General Practitioners continue to collaborate with UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to implement the TARGET (Treat Antibiotics Responsibly, Guidance, Education and Tools) Antibiotics Toolkit, a resource developed by UKHSA containing a suite of AMS resources and quick links to management guidance for over 50 common infections to support primary care providers to implement AMS interventions in their practices. Furthermore, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate held an AMR Research Symposium which highlighted new insights into AMR and antibiotic use in animals, indicating a One Health approach. These activities demonstrate the commitment to improving the knowledge of healthcare professionals. The College of General Dentistry collaborated with international governments and with WHO South-East Asia to present activities and future direction for dental activities to help tackle AMR, including preventing dental infections, IPC during dental procedures and stewardship to ensure appropriate antibiotic use. Since ESPAUR’s inception in 2013, the ESPAUR OG members have continually contributed to efforts to prevent the spread of AMR and to implement AMS interventions. More comprehensive examples of members efforts in 2024-25 are available in the ESPAUR report.3