The \u201cHoly Grail\u201d of narrative reporting would be if we can demonstrate a reduction in antimicrobial resistance. Early (unpublished) review of the Hywel Dda data shows that while there were two clear increases in resistance in the two years prior to September 2014 when we first began this newer way of reporting, no further increases were detected in the four years following introduction. We intend to undertake further data analysis to review the current position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the reduction in sample numbers with the resource release described on the \u201cOutcomes\u201d<\/a> pages, has public health benefits in terms of quality improvement development to the NHS. We spoke to David Heyburn, Head of Operations for Microbiology and Health Protection who worked with colleagues in Public Health Wales to present the case for a new Infection Service to the Welsh Government. This included the creation of six new posts for Clinical Liaison Biomedical Scientists, who have formed members of the core team described in this website. We asked David to describe why he was prepared to back Narrative Reporting:<\/p>\n\n\n\n