Will you help to keep antibiotics working?

Teams from across the Trust have marked World Antibiotic Awareness Week by showing how everyone has a part to play to keep antibiotics working.

The infection control teams at Guy’s and St Thomas’ and Evelina London have been out and about raising awareness about the importance of using antibiotics correctly.

At Evelina London, the team – accompanied by a giant microbe (see photo) – provided information and games for young people to help them understand how antibiotics work, and what we can all do to make sure they keep working.

At St Thomas’, people were shown the dangers of bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics in future years and were encouraged to sign up to be Antibiotic Guardians.

Paul Wade, Consultant Pharmacist at Guy’s and St Thomas’, helped to lead the week’s events. He said: “It’s so important that everyone, not just healthcare professionals, understands how to use antibiotics and why it’s so important that we make sure they keep working.

“Lots of people think that taking antibiotics is a quick fix, but these drugs don’t work for everything and there is a real danger that they will stop working if we use them too much. We can all play a part to make sure antibiotics keep working in the years to come. ”

Sign up to become an Antibiotic Guardian.

World Antibiotic Awareness Week ran from Monday 13 November to Sunday 19 November.