News » England, Research » GP antibiotic prescribing down, other community settings up
July 7th 2026
Antibiotic use in 2024 was slightly lower than in 2019 across most settings, except in ‘other community’ settings, which saw a 43.8 per cent increase. The rise in ‘other community’ use partly reflects expanded access and improved data capture through the NHS Pharmacy First service.
The English Surveillance Programme for Antimicrobial Utilisation and Resistance (ESPAUR) Report 2024-25 shows that the most used antibiotics are penicillins. Certain antibiotic groups exceeded 2019 levels, including first- and second-generation cephalosporins, anti-Clostridioides difficile agents, sulfonamides and trimethoprim, and other antibacterials.
The increase in anti-C. difficile agents reflects rising associated infection rates.
In the report, primary care accounted for nearly 80 per cent of total antibiotic use, with GP practices making up 70.4 per cent. Measured by items per 1,000 inhabitants per day, primary care use slightly increased compared to 2019, suggesting smaller average quantities per prescription. The Pharmacy First service accounted for 34.5 per cent of antibiotic use within the ‘other community’ setting.
Walk-in centres and community services also saw small increases, indicating growing community demand. In hospital in-patients antibiotic use rose by 2.7 per cent.
GP prescribing declined overall compared to 2019, this was seen across all age groups, except in the paediatric age categories.
The data also shows that the total number of antibiotic-resistant infections in 2024 equates to an average of nearly 400 newly reported cases per week.
Cases of bacteraemia caused by antibiotic-resistance have increased by 9.3 per cent since 2023, rising to 20,484 cases in 2024.
The estimated number of deaths in people with a resistant infection also increased to 2,379 deaths in 2024, an increase of 338 deaths in one year. Most antibiotic-resistant bloodstream infections in the past six years (65 per cent) were caused by E. coli. Adults over the age of 45 years continue to be the most at risk from antibiotic-resistant bloodstream infections, accounting for 90 per cent of cases. Nearly half (46.2%) were detected in people over 74. Research suggests risk increases with age because individuals are more likely to develop multiple medical conditions as they get older and have more exposure to medical interventions.
