Doctors should face disciplinary action for prescribing too many antibiotics, a leading NICE official has said, according to a report in The Telegraph (August 18).

Professor Mark Baker, director of the Centre for Clinical Practice at the health watchdog, said millions of ‘frequent flyer’ patients were addicted to the idea of antibiotics, often touring surgeries and A&E wards until they received a prescription. He warned that unnecessary prescribing has now reached crisis point.

GPs are writing 10 million prescriptions of antibiotics annually for coughs, colds and minor infections, fuelling antimicrobial resistance.

Today NICE has launched new guidelines telling doctors to delay treatment to see if symptoms clear up on their own and stop giving drugs for minor illnesses like sore throats and urinary tract infections.

Professor Baker said those who fail to adhere to the guidance should be brought before the General Medical Council. Prescriptions should start carrying diagnoses so that pharmacists could challenge doctors’ instructions and so needless prescribing could be monitored.