Junior doctors are looking at alternatives to prescribing antibiotics in an ongoing campaign underway at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB).

The work with junior doctors is just one of the many initiatives being driven by UHB's highly skilled pharmacists and infection control team.

There is concern, both at a national and international level, with fears that unless prescribing habits are changed, the health of patients is being put at risk.

European Antibiotics Awareness Day on Tuesday 18 November 2014, is just one of a number of initiatives being used by UHB to highlight the issue, where pharmacists and infection control teams will be visiting wards to highlight how staff can make a difference.

Dr Harpal Dhillon, UHB's Principal Pharmacist for Infection Control, urged staff and patients to be aware of the risks and to look at alternatives. Training with all staff groups is also giving the team an opportunity to show how fresh thinking can make a real difference.

Harpal said: "Far too often people are expecting to be given antibiotics for winter ailments and this really is not necessary.

"There are many things people can do to self-treat when suffering from winter ailments, such as cold or flu which your local pharmacist can help advise you on, instead of unnecessarily taking antibiotics.

“It's important to drink lots of fluids, get plenty of rest and take ibuprofen or paracetamol which can help reduce a temperature and ease aches and pains when suffering from symptoms, we hope people will talk to their pharmacists and try alternatives.”

Clinical staff can feel under pressure to prescribe antibiotics, and UHB is working with teams to develop tools that help deliver the most appropriate care to patients.

These include the 'Bee Aware' icon on the Trust’s Prescribing, Information and Communications System (PICS). This alerts clinicians to the fact that the patient has tested positive for an infection and will give more information to enable the most appropriate treatment to be chosen.

To mark European Antibiotics Awareness Day, the Trust’s pharmacy and infection control teams will be holding a stand at the Plaza Restaurant at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) to speak to patients and clinical staff to make it clear that antibiotics are not always the answer.

Harpal said: “We do not want to scare patients, especially those who might feel vulnerable, for not seeking medical advice when they are ill, but rather than waiting to see a GP, it is worthwhile speaking to a pharmacist. They are in touch with the latest drugs and will be able to advise and prescribe."