TARGET

Treat Antibiotics Responsibly: Guidance, Education and Tools

Welcome!

Upcoming Events

UTI Campaign

12th-21st October 2023

This UKHSA and NHSE led campaign targets older adults at risk of urinary tract infection (UTI). Campaign resources and tools that can help your team raise awareness of ways to prevent, recognise, manage and seek help for UTI are available in the TARGET toolkit UTI resource suite.

World AMR Awareness Week

18th-24th November 2023

World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) is a global campaign that is celebrated annually to improve awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Over WAAW, TARGET antibiotics and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) are promoting their free webinar series! Check out our new events page to find out more on the following webinars:

• Acne and COPD exacerbation: Reviewing patients on long term and repeat antibiotics - Wednesday 22nd November 2024 - sign up here
• Improving antibiotic management of respiratory tract infections: cough and sore throat - Tuesday 23rd January 2024 - sign up here
• Urinary tract infections: Applying diagnostic and prescribing guidance in practice - Thursday 21st March 2024 - sign up here

The TARGET antibiotics toolkit provides information and resources on the best practice approach to managing common infections, while optimising antibiotic use in primary care.

You can get involved with WAAW by using the TARGET toolkit, by sharing resources with your colleagues at a practice meeting or on social media, and by signing up to the free TARGET antibiotics webinars.

Updates to the TARGET Toolkit

Catch up on the TARGET webinar series

Did you miss out on our previous TARGET webinars? Find out more and access the recordings on our Learning resources for prescribers page.

Skin infections: Incorporating NICE antimicrobial prescribing guidelines

This webinar covered the treatment and management of impetigo, leg ulcers and cellulitis for primary care prescribers, comprising of clinical scenarios, primary care antibiotic prescribing data and resistance trends. 

Audits as an antimicrobial stewardship tool

This webinar highlighted practical tips on how audits and other tools can be used by primary care teams as part of a wider action plan to support positive change and reduce inappropriate prescribing.

Updated TARGET Tools to Train Prescribers Page

UKHSA and NHS England are working together to cascade TARGET training in England via a train the trainer approach, which is now reflected on the TARGET toolkit.

Visit the page to register your interest in having a TARGET training workshop in your area/practice and we’ll share your details with your regional AMS Lead.
TARGET training is designed to be delivered by accredited TARGET trainers but you can view the core workshop slides, clinical scenarios and associated videos here.

Updated Welsh Patient Leaflets

TARGET provides a suite of resources for use in the community pharmacy setting, including patient leaflets, an antibiotic checklist and a flowchart to guide which resources can be used and when. These resources have now been fully translated into Welsh and can be explored in the Resources for the community pharmacy setting section of the website.
Additionally, wording has been updated in the Welsh patient facing leaflets to capture recent guidance and care seeking pathway changes.

TARGET Resource Development

How to..? Resources (repeat and long term antibiotics)

The ‘How to…?’ series aims to support primary care teams to review the appropriateness of antimicrobials in the evidence-based treatment and prevention of Acne Vulgaris and Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

TARGET and NHSE have created an acne 'How to...' worked examples slide deck to be used with the TARGET acne ‘How to…’ toolkit. The slide deck can be used for personal learning or to deliver to a team and include three different scenarios of acne presentation and important considerations for review.

Use the how to resources to manage and review adults on long-term and repeated antibiotics for the treatment and prevention of Acne Vulgaris and COPD exacerbations. The acne resource can also be used for children over the age of 12.

Conferences

Come and say hi to our team at our exhibition stands this autumn! We will be attending the following conferences:

Infection Prevention Society Conference 17th - 19th October Liverpool Find out more

The RCGP Annual Conference 19th - 20th October Glasgow Find out more

We look forward to hearing what resources and support you would like from TARGET in the future. Our team will also be presenting research posters.

New Publications Relevant to TARGET

Impact of sociodemographic status and UTI symptoms on women's health-seeking and management in England: findings from an e-survey conducted during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic (https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGPO.2023.0039)

Impact of Menopausal Status and Recurrent UTIs on Symptoms, Severity, and Daily Life: Findings from an Online Survey of Women Reporting a Recent UTI (https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12071150)

Changes in public health-seeking behaviours for self-limiting respiratory tract infections across England during the COVID-19 pandemic (https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckad136)

The TARGET Team

Dr Donna Lecky, Head of the Primary Care and Interventions Unit

Donna has a background in microbiology research, programme management and resources development.

Emily Cooper, TARGET Programme Manager

Emily has a background in nursing and public health and is currently involved in activities that focus on prevention and management of urinary tract infections.

Cath Hayes, TARGET Project Manager

Cath has a background in biomedical science, public health and developing interventions. She manages TARGET projects and is completing a part-time PhD on antimicrobial stewardship for ear infections.

Eirwen Sides, TARGET Project Support Officer

Eirwen has a background in Biomedical Sciences and has recently completed a Master's in Public Health. Eirwen is supporting the review of the TARGET website, development of antibiotic prescribing audits and a UTI care home project.

Liam Clayton, TARGET Research Project Support Officer

Liam has a Master's degree in Sport and Exercise Science and is supporting with website updates, reviewing TARGET resources, UTI work and the roll out of TARGET training.

Camilla Stevenson, RCGP Project Manager

Camilla manages the RCGP's portfolio of quality improvement projects, which includes TARGET, QOF QI and GP Excellence.