Research and analysis

HPR volume 12 issue 8: news (2 March)

Updated 21 December 2018

CMO annual report 2017

The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for England has published her latest annual report which focusses on the impact of ‘all forms of pollution’ on human health [1].

The purpose of the report, Professor Dame Sally Davies says in her introductory summary, is: ‘To bring political, policy and health system attention to pollution as a threat to the public’s health […] to emphasise the role pollution plays in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and recommend means to better understand and tackle this threat [and] structure our research and public sector organisations to look at the whole spectrum of pollution holistically.’

The report comprises 9 chapters covering:

• pollution from the health and care system
• 21st century chemicals
• new horizons
• economics of pollution interventions
• pollution and inequality
• environmental health - response to pollution
• data, surveillance and health impacts of pollution
• measurement and communication of health risks from pollution

Reference

1. DHSC (2 March 2018). Annual report of the Chief Medical Officer 2017, health impacts of all pollution - what do we know?

Extent of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing in primary care quantified

Five related papers published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy present the results of research led by PHE scientists aimed at quantifying the extent of inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics in primary care in England and identifying factors contributing to over-prescribing [1]. The papers jointly conclude that the extent of inappropriate prescribing is substantial and that there is significant scope for improvement.

The articles indicate that improvement is not only required with regard to the quality of antibiotic prescribing but also in the routine recording of clinical diagnoses that justify decisions on whether or not antibiotics are prescribed.

Improvements in routine diagnostic coding would enhance both the quality of surveillance data on antibiotic prescribing and the associated evidence base, a preface to the papers states: ‘This would, in turn, facilitate the rational design of interventions to tackle the threat to public health and healthcare delivery that is posed by antibiotic resistance’.

Reference

1. Johnson AP, Lewis R and Wickens HJ (eds) (February 2018). Appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing in English primary care. JAC, 73 (suppl 2), February 2018].

Legionella event: an update on the requirements for effective water system management

The British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) is holding a 1-day conference to provide an up-to-date review of legionella monitoring and control strategies, the issues that affect the management of water quality in industrial, healthcare, leisure and domestic water systems, and the legal responsibilities placed on duty holders and their appointed service providers. Case studies will include discussion of the types of problems that resulted in a failure to manage water systems properly and caused legionnaires’ disease and the negative impacts that such events had on the organisations concerned.

Topics to be covered include:

• legionella risk assessment: the meaning of ‘competent assessor’ and ‘suitable and sufficient’
• competency ‘standards’ and who should assess the competency of individuals and service providers
• HSE’s experience on how effective the current regulatory guidance is in practice
• the HSE Cooling Tower Regulatory Intervention Programme
• latest developments in microbiological analysis of legionella bacteria in water systems
• the causal chain and the management of LD outbreaks
• healthcare facilities and the unique challenges they present
• the true risk posed by cooling tower water systems
• case studies of LD outbreaks and experiences with service providers

Venue: Manchester, 14 March, 2018

Conference website: http://www.bohs.org/conferences-events/.

Infection reports in this issue

• Laboratory reports of respiratory infections made to PHE from PHE and NHS laboratories in England and Wales: weeks 5-8, 2018.