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A national summit earlier this month called for binding targets on antibiotic prescribing.

The aim is to roll back total consumption to 2010 levels in both community and hospital settings. Between 2010 and 2013 the combined antibiotic prescribing of GPs and hospitals increased by 6 per cent.

€Antibiotics can work brilliantly as long as they are properly prescribed and used appropriately, but we have developed a worrying reliance on them and some of our patients now see them as a cure-all,€ says Professor Nigel Mathers, honorary secretary of the Royal College of General Practitioners.

€Health professionals can face enormous pressure to prescribe them but patients and the public need to be aware of the risks associated with inappropriate use of antibiotics and how to use them appropriately.

€It is absolutely imperative that all of us €“ doctors, nurses and pharmacists €“ work in partnership with our patients to talk about when antibiotics are necessary and when they are not required.

€We should also be pointing out the alternatives available to those of our patients who ask for antibiotics to treat viral illnesses.

€We need to do everything we can to prevent resistance to antibiotics so that we can all benefit when we really need them.€