Commonwealth Partnerships for Antimicrobial Stewardship − phase 1
It is crucial that the high-quality data that is produced is used effectively in clinical practice to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
The Fleming Fund recognises the importance of strong antimicrobial stewardship practices in the fight against AMR. The Commonwealth Partnerships for Antimicrobial Stewardship (CwPAMS) scheme funds health partnerships – existing or new – between the UK’s NHS Trusts and health institutions with their counterparts in Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Malawi, and Nigeria. These partnerships undertake projects that aim to improve antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) practices in-country.
A total of 12 partnerships have been selected across the 8 participating countries.
Global Health Partnerships (formerly Tropical Health and Education Trust (THET)) and the Commonwealth Pharmacists Association (CPA).
Sept 2018 - Jun 2022
Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria.
Objectives
- Strengthen the LMIC healthcare workforce in areas related to AMS.
- Support the development and implementation of AMS policies in LMIC healthcare institutions in line with national and international frameworks.
- Improve the knowledge and understanding of NHS volunteers on AMS in low-resource settings.
- CwPAMS 2 builds on phase 1 by further integrating the impact of the AMS capacity development activities and rolling them out to other institutions. Health partnerships will also be encouraged where relevant to develop a hub and spoke model, with the hub being responsible for disseminating training and capacity building to other local facilities.
Activities
- Develop partnerships between NHS Trusts and clinics/hospitals in low- and middle-income commonwealth Africa countries.
- Inspire and fund focused projects on the theme of AMR, including activity on AMS, surveillance, infection prevention control and antimicrobial pharmacy expertise and capacity building.
- Provide continuing guidance and support on partnership working, AMS best practice, monitoring and evaluation and behaviour change.
- Facilitate cross-partnership lessons learning and sharing of best practice and results.
- Further development and embedding of antimicrobial prescribing app, building on work of Strategic Alignment Grant, Surveillance and Prescribing Support for Antimicrobial Stewardship Resource Capacity Building (SPARC). The app provides guidance on antimicrobial use and other key AMS guidance, resources, and training documents.
- Africa Leadership Fellowship-AMS to support pharmacists to develop health leadership skills to lead AMS initiatives.