Therese Coffey

2022 - 10 - 15

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Image courtesy of "Daily Mail"

Thérèse Coffey's 'nuts' plan for antibiotic prescription without GP ... (Daily Mail)

Thérèse Coffey wants people to be able to get antibiotics from the chemist without asking a doctor - despite professor warning that 'nuts' plan could make drugs ...

Pictured: Pharmacist holding medicine pack and medicine bottle in a chemist Overuse of antibiotics causes bacteria to evolve resistance to commonly used antibiotics, resulting in common infections becoming deadlier due to lack of effective treatment. Cambridge University's Professor Stephen Baker (pictured), an expert in molecular microbiology and antimicrobial resistance, said that overuse of antibiotics would lead to higher chances of drug-resistant disease and branded the Health Secretary's plans 'nuts' The Health Secretary has lobbied to allow chemists to prescribe antibiotics without a doctor's diagnosis to help clear up GP waiting lists - similar to a scheme in Scotland. Health Secretary Thérèse Coffey (pictured) has lobbied to allow chemists to prescribe antibiotics without a doctor's diagnosis to help clear up GP waiting lists Thérèse Coffey has been branded 'moronic' by a Cambridge microbiology professor over her 'nuts' plans to let patients get antibiotics without seeing a GP which could increase the prevalence and dangers of drug-resistant bacteria like MRSA.

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Image courtesy of "Telegraph.co.uk"

Therese Coffey admits handing out antibiotics to friends (Telegraph.co.uk)

Health Secretary's plans for pharmacists to offer some medications without prescriptions have prompted backlash from doctors.

“A rise in antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to modern medicine, and taking someone else’s antibiotics or not finishing a full course of treatment only increases the opportunities for microbes to develop resistance to these vital medicines,” she said. A spokesman for Ms Coffey said: “The Secretary of State has explored a range of policy options to relieve pressure on GPs, including whether it is possible to allow greater prescribing by pharmacists – as happens in many places, including Scotland. Thorrun Govind, of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said the “devil is in the detail” of Ms Coffey’s plans but added her comments had “undermined the great work of healthcare colleagues working hard to prevent antibiotic resistance”. [ India was facing a “pandemic” of superbug](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/superbug-pandemic-stalks-india-antibiotic-resistance-jumps-10pc/)s as resistance to antibiotics jumped by 10 per cent in a year. The increased use of antibiotics is one of the main drivers of AMR and around 65,000 people a year in the UK develop drug-resistant infections – so-called “superbugs”. [considering plans to allow pharmacists to prescribe antibiotics](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/10/03/nhs-accused-poaching-pharmacists-gp-surgeries/) to patients without the advice of a doctor.

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