2.2 million fewer antibiotics were prescribed by doctors in England, a first-time reduction, data from Public Health England (PHE) shows.

The figures reveal that antibiotic prescribing decreased by 4.3 per cent from 40.7 million to 38.5 million between 2014 and 2015, marking the first ever decline in antibiotic prescriptions across the healthcare system.

Welcoming the news, Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive at NICE said: “This new data published by PHE shows that our attitudes are changing for the better. Now we must work hard to maintain this momentum.”