Official figures show antibiotic prescriptions were down by more than 2.6 million on the previous year to about 34 million in 2015-16. The “impressive” figures were due to the growing concerns about the use of antibiotic and government’s financial incentives to GPs who are able to hit a target.
The target reduction for all types of antibiotic had been set at 1per cent but the actual reduction was about 7per cent. Meanwhile, prescriptions for broad-spectrum antibiotics that are reserved for hard-to-treat bacterial infections went down by 16per cent although the target had only been set at 10per cent reduction.
Dr Mike Durkin, from NHS Improvement, said: "This [is a] fantastic result achieved in just one year."
"Every year, too many people suffer and lose their lives due to antibiotic-resistant infections," he said.
"At a time when the NHS has advanced in many areas of patient care, science and technology, we must work to prevent healthcare going backwards to a time where antibiotics are no longer fighting infections.
"This is why efforts in the NHS to reduce the overprescribing of antibiotics are crucial, and these latest figures are a significant step forward in this fight."
Dr Maureen Baker, of the Royal College of GPs, added: "We need to continue to work together to make the public realise that prescribing antibiotics is not always the answer to treating minor, self-limiting illness,"