Clinical Director at Leonard Brothers Veterinary Centre, Steve Leonard, share details of how his team got behind the campaign: “As a team we talked through the amnesty and why it was important, so they could confidently discuss the issues with clients. We put posters in every consult room and in the waiting area to act as a conversation starter with clients about the AMR topic, and our social media team made sure that the campaign was visible on our pages. I’d recommend any practice taking part and ideally, appoint an Antibiotic Amnesty champion – someone who can digest the material and drive the campaign and help keep everyone focused.

“Our focus on AMR doesn’t just happen during the month of November though – we discuss antibiotic stewardship continuously, so awareness is high and it’s part of our focus all the time. All team members understand the AMR issue well and it’s something that as a practice we have focused on for many years; we have been very proactive in achieving responsible reductions in antibiotic usage, so our team understand how important it is.

“We took a very reassuring approach with our clients when talking about the Amnesty; we carefully introduced the AMR discussion and adopted more of a coaching approach rather than being authoritarian with our messaging, so no-one felt badgered and we offered lots of guidance and support. We had plenty of visibility of the campaign in the clinic too with posters and our social media, so we used all available channels to ‘start the conversation’ and educate clients.

“The veterinary industry is doing great work to address AMR; the livestock sectors have already achieved impressive reductions. Across the CA&E sectors the work that is underway is gathering great pace and there are lots of initiatives underway – but we all know there is still work to do.

“Campaigns such as the Antibiotic Amnesty allow practices to start having team conversations. This can lead to changes in antibiotic usage policies that can influence and reduce prescribing and dispensing in the first place.

“As part of our QI within IVC, our antibiotic prescribing is monitored. In our practice we are currently exceeding the targets for antibiotic use reduction however, we are still looking at new ways to be more responsible with usage. For example, we have had a number of CPD events on how we can reduce the use of antibiotic products in the management of otitis externa in dogs and our usage is dropping further.

“We all want to be proud of where we work and what we do. This campaign is a great way of engaging with clients about antibiotic stewardship and helps them understand why restricted access to these precious resources are, at times, necessary.

“AMR is something we should be considering each time we are thinking about reaching for these medications. The wider impacts of their overuse on us as a species, our pets and the wider environment are real and terrifying. I have a photo of my daughter aged three months old in hospital with suspected meningitis with a cannula in her tiny fist where she was receiving IV antibiotics. I don’t want there to be a day when the drugs won’t work for a parent in this position.

“We plan to take part in the Antibiotic Amnesty again this year – it is all part of our commitment to our community to do what we can to keep them safe.”