Information from 400 GP practices and 20 million consultations has been analysed and made available in the form of a new digital dashboard.

Developed by Greater Manchester Connected Health City (GM CHC) researchers at The University of Manchester with Public Health England, the National Antibiotic Prescribing Dashboard allows a range of health stakeholders, including policy makers, to better understand the factors that influence the UK’s antibiotic prescribing profile.

The National Antibiotic Prescribing Dashboard data shows that factors such as GP Practice location, time spent with patients and staff shortages impact on the number of antibiotics prescribed.

Data shows that antibiotics are more likely to be prescribed in busy, northern GP practices. The dashboard also reveals that patients considered to be at ‘low risk’ of hospitalisation from infection-related complications are prescribed just as many antibiotics as patients who are at ‘high risk’ of being hospitalised within the next 30 days.

The Dashboard has been developed for a range of stakeholders including healthcare providers, academic institutions, CCG’s, and local authorities to better understand the existing antibiotic prescribing landscape and to help meet the Government’s target of reducing the number of inappropriate prescriptions by 50% by 2020.

Professor Tjeerd van Staa from the GM CHC said: “In order to tackle antibiotic resistance, it’s crucial that we gain a better understanding of the key factors that influence antibiotic prescribing and that identify patients at higher risk of developing infection related complications.

“The dashboard shows users how infectious conditions are treated across England and Wales, providing important insight into the challenges that need to be addressed in each region to effectively optimise prescribing behaviours.”

Find out more and how to access the National Antibiotic Prescribing Dashboard here