NHS uses sickness data as early warning to cope with winter surges

A sickness surveillance system will help the NHS plan for surges in demand this winter by tracking outbreaks of norovirus, which causes vomiting and diarrhoea, and other illness around the country.

Data gathered by Public Health England will be used by NHS England operational monitoring teams to study winter trends and to help give early warning about rising outbreaks of flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and norovirus as well as other acute seasonal illnesses.

The findings will allow the NHS to anticipate rises in hospital admissions and produce a planned response by, for example, rescheduling planned surgery in advance to avoid inconveniencing patients as well as free up beds and converting ‘swing’ wards from elective to emergency care for patients with conditions such as respiratory problems.

English Surveillance Programme for Antimicrobial Utilisation and Resistance’ (ESPAUR)

The 'English Surveillance Programme for Antimicrobial Utilisation and Resistance’ (ESPAUR) report says more than one million UTI samples were analysed in NHS laboratories across England last year (2016), and that resistance was a “common” observation.

One in three (34%) of the samples analysed were found to be resistant to an antibiotic called trimethoprim, compared to 29.1% in 2015.

Public Health England has also launched a major new campaign to help ‘Keep Antibiotics Working’.

The campaign warns people that taking antibiotics when they are not needed puts them at risk of a more severe or longer infection, and urges people to take their doctor’s advice on antibiotics.

Legionnaires' disease: national surveillance scheme

Update on guidance for the control and prevention of Legionnaires' disease in England, including disease surveillance and reporting forms from Public Health England.

See also Investigation of Legionnaires disease: cases, clusters and outbreaks

Surgical site infections (SSI) surveillance: NHS hospitals in England

This annual report, published by Public Health England, covers surgical site infection (SSI) data collected by NHS hospitals and independent sector NHS treatment centres.

Referring influenza samples to respiratory virus unit, PHE Colindale

Guidance from Public Health England on how to refer flu samples to the respiratory virus unit (RVU) for diagnosis, subtyping, antiviral resistance testing and surveillance.

Legionnaires' disease: guidance, data and analysis

The symptoms, diagnosis, management, surveillance and epidemiology of Legionnaires' disease. From Public Health England.

The characteristics and epidemiology of Mycoplasma pneumoniae

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a bacterium that causes acute respiratory illness ranging in severity from mild respiratory illness to severe pneumonia. It can be fatal for a small number of people and has rarely been associated with severe complications such as encephalitis.

Most laboratory reports are of infection in children aged from 5 to 14 years, and adults aged 30 to 39 years. The infection is found in patients of all ages, including children under 5 years and occasionally in adults aged 65 years and over.

There is no vaccine against Mycoplasma pneumoniae but it is susceptible to a range of antibiotics. Antimicrobial resistance to macrolides is increasing globally.

PHE Guidance

Emerging infections: monthly summaries

New or emerging infectious disease events that could affect UK public health; published monthly by PHE, on behalf of the Human Animal Infections and Risk Surveillance group.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs): surveillance, data, screening and management

The surveillance and epidemiology of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) from Public Health England.

ECDC roadmap for integration of molecular typing into European level surveillance and epidemic preparedness

This roadmap Version 2.1, 2016–19 presents the recommended priority list of pathogens/diseases and technical implementation options for the medium-term integration of molecular/genomic typing into EU-level surveillance and epidemic preparedness. It is meant as a strategic framework to guide the consolidation of ECDC activities in relation to molecular typing of human pathogens and to focus the development of genomic-typing-enhanced surveillance over the next four years. It builds upon and synthesises evidence and the opinion of experts in Member States and at ECDC.